Lufthansa Technik Sofia expands Bulgarian maintenance facility

Lufthansa Technik Sofia (LTSF), a joint venture (JV) of Germany’s Lufthansa Technik and the Bulgarian Aviation Group, is expanding its Sofia Airport facility in Bulgaria into a new narrowbody eight-bay hangar.

The €35 million ($41 million) facility will offer a 60% capacity increase and include a six-level multifunctional building, which will combine hangar, offices and workshop areas. The facility will also increase the number of employees in Sofia by 30%, to 1,300.

The 64,000 sq m LTSF facility will be able to accommodate eight narrowbody aircraft for base maintenance simultaneously, and one aircraft in a nose-in position for services such as cabin modifications. Two bays have full-paint capability.

Lufthansa Technik Sofia CEO Daniel Hoffmann said, “LHT Sofia’s results over the past nine years have proved the company has significantly contributed to the development of the Bulgarian aviation industry ... becoming a leader in the European maintenance, repair and overhaul market.”

Bulgarian Airways Group CEO Plamen Atanasov said the group has invested more than €100 million in assets, tools, equipment and trained personnel in the JV since 2007.

The service spectrum at the new facility will offer line maintenance to IL-/D-Checks, including a full range of additional services such as aircraft painting, special interior works and aircraft-on-ground (AOG) support.