Dubai: Lufthansa Technik, one of the world’s largest aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) companies, is open to setting up a facility in Iran when economic sanctions on the country are lifted, which could happen by year-end, according to a top company executive.
“We are open to it. If the government or airline wants support in the build-up phase, we will do that. If they want a partner to join them, then we can think about that,” Johannes Bussman, Lufthansa Technik’s chief executive, told Gulf News at the Dubai Airshow on Sunday.
He said that the German company is in discussions with airlines in Iran, declining to give details.
“There’s an aircraft fleet [in Iran] that needs to be taken care of to bring it up in the air,” he added.
Despite the discussions, there are currently no set plans to open a facility in the country.
Baussman sees a strong potential for Iran’s aviation sector to grow further in the coming years.
“Iran has a big population and it definitely needs hundreds of aircraft for transport... I’m very sure that there will be strong growth for aviation with all the players in the supply chain,” he said.
The company said last February that it plans to develop an operational facility at Dubai South, formerly Dubai World Central (DWC), by the fourth quarter of this year.
