Sabena Technics’ New Bordeaux Facility

The 108,000 sq.ft facility in Bordeaux opened in late December 2019 and became the MRO’s sixth hangar at the site.

The facility, located close to the city’s Merignac airport, will hold capabilities for base maintenance and modifications work.

– Undertaking a mix of commercial and military MRO, the Bordeaux hangar holds capacity for one widebody aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 777-9X or Airbus A350-1000, three military aircraft such as the A400M simultaneously and six narrowbody aircraft.

The company has invested around €25 million ($27.7 million) in the new facility, with the financial outlay covering the construction along with tooling and equipment, Sabena Technics’ CEO Philippe Rochet told Aviation Week.

Irish carrier Aer Lingus sent one of its Airbus A330-200 aircraft into the new hangar on Jan.6 for a C check, with the process expected to take around three weeks to complete.

Over the next year, the facility has maintenance commitments until March 2021, while agreements are in place for modifications work up to 2022. Once running at full capacity, Sabena Technics estimates the facility will generate 200,000 additional hours of production annually.