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| Incheon International Airport Corp. President and CEO Kim Kyung-wook, left, poses with Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings President and CEO John W. Dietrich, center, and Sharp Technics K President and CEO Paik Soon-suk, after signing a memorandum of agreement at the headquarters of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings in New York, July 19. Under the agreement, Atlas Air will develop a dedicated maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Incheon airport. Courtesy of Incheon International Airport Corp. |
By Jun Ji-hye
Atlas Air has signed a memorandum of agreement with Sharp Technics K (STK), a Korean aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company, and Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) to enter into a joint venture with STK to develop a dedicated MRO facility at Incheon airport.
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, which owns the New York-based cargo and passenger charter airline, said Monday that the facility is expected to open in 2025 in response to the airline's growing wide-body maintenance needs in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Incheon International Airport is a key airport for us in our global network as we serve customers around the world," Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings President and CEO John W. Dietrich said. "Our partnership with Sharp Technics K will enable us to further streamline maintenance planning with their integrated approach to servicing our fleet."
STK President and CEO Paik Soon-suk said that the facility to be built at Incheon will be able to accommodate multiple wide-body planes at the same time.
"This will enable the facility to contribute to the growth of airfreight and e-commerce on a global scale as Incheon airport expands its role in the MRO aviation industry," Paik said.
For his part, IIAC President and CEO Kim Kyung-wook said the latest signing will serve as a cornerstone for new growth as the airport is seeking to "strengthen Korea's competitive position in serving the worldwide aviation MRO industry."
The IIAC has recently given efforts to raise the competitive edge of the domestic MRO industry in the global market.
In May, the IIAC signed a memorandum of agreement with STK and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), under which IAI will establish its first overseas production base at the Incheon airport for converting wide-body passenger planes to freighters.
