Lufthansa Technik Confirms Portuguese Parts Facility Location

Lufthansa Technik has confirmed plans to build a new Portugal-based component repair facility near Porto and expects it to commence operations toward the end of 2027.

The German MRO giant has confirmed that it recently acquired a 2.4-million-ft.² site at the Lusopark business park in Santa Maria da Feira, located around 20 mi. south of Porto, to house the MRO operation, which will focus on individual engine and aircraft parts. The facility’s scale will stand at around 580,000 ft.²

Construction work is expected to begin in 2026 on the project, which LHT describes as a “multi-million-euro investment” with the facility operating as Lufthansa Technik Portugal. LHT has yet to disclose which individual engines and aircraft parts types will be initially serviced at the facility.

On several occasions this year, the maintenance provider had stated its plans to build a new parts facility somewhere in Southern Europe, with the exact location disclosed in late September by Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr, who stated Spain was the backup option to Portugal. At the time, Spohr highlighted easier access to the country’s labor market as a pulling factor in contrast to its Hamburg home base, where he conceded it has become increasingly difficult to attract talent.

Lufthansa Technik has also identified the need to increase capacity across its MRO network, with its shop capacity limitations having an impact on its Lufthansa Group parent company. In October, the airline group confirmed its maintenance expenses grew by 21% to €1.94 billion ($2.1 billion) in the year to date due to the group outsourcing more work to third-party MRO providers.

Lufthansa Technik says the new facility will lead to the creation of more than 700 jobs, for which it plans to open the application process next year. Also in 2025, LHT plans to set up a training center in Santa Maria da Feira to commence the training process for technical talent to quicken the start of production when the facility opens in 2027.

Recruitment priorities include mechanics, electronics technicians, engineers, process and human resources managers, the company says.

“Lufthansa Technik is pursuing ambitious growth targets and we want to further expand our position as the global market leader in the MRO sector in the future,” says Harald Gloy, chief operating officer at Lufthansa Technik. “That is why we have already started to expand our capacities by adding strategically important locations to our global network, to ensure we will continue to best satisfy the expectations of our more than 800 international customers in the future.”

Gloy adds that the investment is a sign of commitment to Portugal, with LHT working closely with the country’s government in order to finalize the investment. The company says that in addition to its attractive labor market, Portugal stood out as a location due to its European Union membership, stable political environment and good infrastructure.