Lithuanian MRO provider FL Technics has announced plans to build a new 215,000 ft.2 maintenance hangar in the Dominican Republic.
The company confirmed Aug. 15 that the new facility will be located at Punta Cana International Airport on the Caribbean Island. FL Technics says completion of the hangar’s construction is expected sometime in 2025 and, in total, the site’s volume will be 560,000 ft.2 In its first phase, the facility will consist of five base maintenance bays and supporting workshops and will also offer line maintenance services.
FL Technics says the move will target the growing narrowbody fleets of the Americas region, which it plans to do via its FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency-certified part-145 capabilities.
Expansion into the Dominican Republic further grows the company’s global MRO footprint. It currently operates base maintenance hangars in Vilnius and Kaunas in its Lithuania homebase. In addition, it operates UK facilities at London Stansted Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland, along with an MRO operation in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“This expansion is our first physical base maintenance foothold in the region, following the existing FL Technics operations in the Americas, including line maintenance network in Canada,” FL Technics CEO Zilvinas Lapinskas says.
“It is a decisive investment as we aim to provide comprehensive MRO solutions to create long-term partnerships and a base for other future developments in the continent.”
More growth is eventually planned when construction enters its second phase at Punta Cana—the second-busiest airport in the Caribbean region, with nearly eight million passengers annually. Long-term plans for the MRO infrastructure at Punta Cana include adding capacity through an additional seven bays, taking it to 12 bays overall.
“With this strategic alliance, airport customers will have access to a wide range of aircraft maintenance and repair services, including scheduled inspections, component repairs, cabin modifications and painting, among others,” adds Giovanni Rainieri, Punta Cana's airside operations director.