Atlas Air to open Seoul, Korea MRO base in 2025
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, the parent of US cargo specialist Atlas Air (5Y, New York JFK), and South Korean heavy maintenance provider Sharp Technics K are joining forces to establish a dedicated maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Seoul Incheon by 2025.
The move will allow Atlas Air to further expand into Asia-Pacific by providing a solution for its growing wide-body maintenance needs in the Asia-Pacific region, John W. Dietrich, president and chief executive of Atlas Air Worldwide explained in a statement. “Incheon International Airport is a key airport for us in our global network as we serve customers around the world. Our partnership with Sharp Technics K will enable us to further streamline maintenance planning with their integrated approach to servicing our fleet,” he said.
Speaking after the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement in Seoul, Sharp Technics K President Soon-Suk Paik said the facility would accommodate multiple wide-body aircraft at the same time, enabling the airport to grow its airfreight and e-commerce business and expand its role in the MRO aviation industry. “This development will serve as a cornerstone for new growth as we strengthen Korea’s competitive position in serving the worldwide aviation MRO industry,” added Kyung-Wook Kim, president of Incheon International Airport Corporation.
A 2.5-bay hangar accommodating two widebodies simultaneously will be constructed. Depending on demand, there would be an option to build another hangar of the same size, increasing capacity to five aircraft.
About 40% of Atlas Air’s fleet of 138 aircraft would likely receive maintenance at the facility. Atlas Air estimated the new facility would generate an average of USD5.6 billion in revenue for 50 years from 2025, with new jobs for up to 1,200 engineers.
Atlas Air has a fleet of 82 aircraft, including twenty-four B747-400(FSCD)s, fourteen B767-300(ERBDSF)s, and ten BB747-8(F)s, according to ch-aviation fleets advanced data. The rest of the fleet is made up of seven B747-400s, two each of B747-400(BCF)s, B747-400(BDSF)s, and B747-400(ERF)s, plus four B747-400(LCF)s, six B767-300(ER)s, eight B767-300(ERBCF)s, and two B767-300Fs.
Atlas Air Worldwide is the holding company of Atlas Air, Southern Air Holdings, and Titan Aviation Holdings, and the majority shareholder of Polar Air Cargo (PO, New York JFK).