6 Lufthansa planes to be parked at Twente Airport

6 juni 2020

Twente Airport

This morning, the first aircraft to be parked at Twente Airport as a result of the corona crisis landed. It is a Boeing 747-400 of Lufthansa. In the coming weeks, a total of six aircraft of this type, a so-called widebody aircraft, will be parked at Twente Airport by the airline. Due to the drop in demand and numerous travel restrictions, airlines are keeping a large proportion of their aircraft grounded. Twente Airport provides parking spaces for aircraft of aviation and leasing companies from home and abroad. Parking management and maintenance services for Lufthansa's six aircraft will be carried out by a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group; the maintenance company Lufthansa Technik, which will support parking management from Amsterdam.

This gives the plan to develop maintenance activities at Twente Airport a flying start and makes a positive contribution to the creation of activity at Technology Base, of which Twente Airport is part, and to the economic development of the region.

Maintenance and service

Twente Airport is working with development company Oost NL to realise a cluster for aircraft maintenance at Twente Airport. A study, conducted by Airbus Consulting, outlines a favourable outlook for developing aircraft maintenance activities at Twente Airport. Meiltje de Groot, director of Twente Airport: ‘With the maintenance cluster including renowned aircraft maintenance companies, we want to offer airlines and leasing companies the high-quality service they demand in a flexible and innovative way. Europe's major airports have less and less physical space. Moreover, maintenance also comes at the expense of available slots. The corona crisis is causing a temporary dip in transport demand, but a growing demand for aircraft parking, for the short but also somewhat longer term. When the transport demand grows again, the demand for maintenance will increase again.’

Partners

In time, the plan provides for the construction of additional parking spaces and maintenance facilities. The maintenance activities at Twente Airport offer opportunities for innovative business activity at the airport and at the adjacent Technology Base business park, of which Twente Airport is part, and fit within the applicable airport decision. Such as the company AELS (Aircraft End-of-Life Solutions) which is already established and is an important partner for owners of aircraft that need to be dismantled in a sustainable way. In Overijssel, many companies are linked to the aircraft industry. Moreover, there is connection to education at various levels. Regional and national partners for the maintenance cluster are sought at strategic, tactical and operational levels. Jan Schuring, Technology Base director: ‘What is good for Twente Airport is good for Technology Base, so all support for aircraft maintenance’.