Korean Air Builds Asia's Largest Aircraft Engine Maintenance Factory in Yeongjongdo

Job Creation and Strengthening of Aircraft Maintenance Industry

Korean Air is establishing the largest aircraft maintenance complex in Asia on Yeongjongdo Island.

On the 14th, Korean Air announced that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new engine maintenance factory at the site in Unbuk-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon. Through this, the company plans to create over 1,000 new jobs and reduce the domestic aviation industry's reliance on overseas maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), thereby contributing to strengthening the competitiveness of the domestic aviation MRO industry.

The new engine maintenance factory, located near the Engine Test Center (ETC) that Korean Air has been operating since 2016, will consist of a building with two underground floors and five above-ground floors. The total floor area will be approximately 140,211.73 square meters. The construction will involve a total investment of 578 billion KRW, with Kolon Global in charge of the construction.

Previously, Korean Air performed aircraft engine maintenance at its Bucheon plant and conducted final performance tests before engine delivery at the ETC in the Unbuk district of Yeongjongdo. With the engine maintenance cluster in the Unbuk district, it will be possible to handle both the start and completion of aircraft engine maintenance in one location, enabling more efficient operations.

Korean Air’s aircraft engine maintenance capabilities will also be enhanced. The number of engines that can be serviced annually will increase from 100 to 360, and the variety of engine types that can be handled will expand. Currently, Korean Air can perform overhaul maintenance on six types of engines, including Pratt & Whitney (PW) PW4000 series and GTF engines, CFM International (CFMI) CFM56, and General Electric (GE) GE90-115B engines. Korean Air plans to increase the number of engine models it can service to nine, including GE’s GEnx series and CFMI’s LEAP-1B. Feasibility studies will also be conducted on engines of aircraft owned by Asiana Airlines, such as the Trent XWB engine of the A350.

In his commemorative speech at the groundbreaking ceremony, Cho Won-tae, Chairman of Hanjin Group, said, "The engine is a core device that enables an aircraft to fly, playing a role similar to the heart in the human body." He added, "I ask all those involved to do their utmost until the new engine maintenance factory is safely completed so that Korean Air can establish itself as the safest airline in the world and that this facility can grow into a cradle for strengthening the competitiveness of Korea’s aviation MRO business."

Chairman Cho Won-tae of Hanjin Group is delivering a commemorative speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new engine maintenance factory held on the site in Unbuk-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon on the 14th. (Photo by Korean Air)