Independent maintenance specialist Fokker Services has inaugurated its new widebody hangar in the Netherlands, where it will provide airframe MRO, completion and conversion services.
The new 80,000 ft.2 facility is located at Woensdrecht Airport, approximately 45 mi. south of Rotterdam and 20 mi. north of Antwerp across the Belgian border. It holds capacity for several widebody aircraft types, including the Airbus A330 and A350 as well as the Boeing 777 and 787.
Fokker first announced the plans to expand its existing site in the Netherlands in October 2022.
Fokker says the facility has been designed and built with sustainability considerations. The hangar is powered electrically and an environmentally friendly geothermal energy system has been installed. Later this year, Fokker plans to install photovoltaic solar power capacity on the rooftop of the hangar, which it says will reduce its dependency on external energy sources.
Fokker says the sustainability improvements, which it developed with Spanish modular architecture company Gaptek, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the construction by 75% compared to a conventional hangar.
Roland van Dijk, CEO of Fokker Services Group, says the new facility is a key milestone for the company's strong focus on sustainability. He adds that the facility will also help strengthen its position in the widebody aftermarket.
The MRO provider is targeting growth after rebranding to Fokker Services Group last October, when it combined its Fokker Services and Fokker Techniek subsidiaries into one entity.
Fokker currently operates five facilities servicing narrowbody, widebody and regional aircraft. These include three facilities in Europe across locations in the Netherlands, an Asia-Pacific business in Singapore and a U.S. base located in LaGrange, Georgia.