Asiana Airlines' 22 Engines Maintenance to be Handled by Korean Air... Worth 300 Billion Won

Lee Soo-geun, Vice President of Korean Air Operations Division (third from left), Jin Jong-seop, Head of Strategic Planning Division at Asiana Airlines (center), and other representatives from both companies are posing for a commemorative photo after signing the contract.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have joined forces in the field of engine maintenance.

On the 13th, Korean Air announced that on the 12th, at Asiana Airlines headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korean Air Vice President of Operations Lee Sugeun, Asiana Airlines Head of Strategic Planning Jin Jongseop, and other officials from both companies attended a signing ceremony for a maintenance contract worth $260 million (approximately 294.4 billion KRW) for 22 Pratt & Whitney PW4090 engines owned by Asiana Airlines.

This collaboration was made after Asiana Airlines, which had entrusted engine maintenance to the American company Pratt & Whitney for over 20 years, selected Korean Air as the final contractor in a new bidding process following the expiration of the previous contract.

This is the largest maintenance contract between domestic airlines. Based on its engine maintenance plant located in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, Korean Air will be responsible for maintaining 22 Asiana Airlines PW4090 engines for the next five years starting this month. The engine maintenance handled by Korean Air includes mandatory complete overhaul maintenance after a certain period of use and repairs in case of malfunctions.

The contract between Korean Air and Asiana Airlines holds significance in terms of advancing the national aviation maintenance (MRO) industry based on technological cooperation and enhancement, preventing foreign currency outflow, and expanding employment stability.

While performing maintenance on Asiana Airlines’ PW4090 engines, Korean Air will establish a technical consultative body between the two companies to collaborate and share technologies regarding engine operation and maintenance. Based on this mutual cooperation, they plan to enhance Korea’s MRO competitiveness, contribute to the development of related industries, and by shifting the PW4090 engine maintenance?previously dependent on overseas services for over 20 years?to domestic operations, help prevent foreign currency outflow and improve employment stability.

Korean Air’s Bucheon engine maintenance plant is the only private aircraft engine maintenance facility in Korea. Since starting medium-level maintenance work for Boeing B707 aircraft engines in 1976, it has serviced over 4,600 engines of its own aircraft to date. In particular, Korean Air has been recognized for its maintenance quality by engine manufacturers such as General Electric (GE) and Pratt & Whitney, as well as overseas airlines, and since 2004, it has successfully secured and carried out maintenance projects for about 190 engines from other airlines.