Leading European maintenance, repair and overhaul and completions provider Lufthansa Technik (booth 744) has signed a letter of intent with Moscow Vnukovo covering the provision of support for Western-type VIP and executive aircraft transiting the airport’s Vnukovo 3 general aviation facility.
Lufthansa Technik chairman August Henningsen and Vitaly Vantsev, chairman of Vnukovo Invest, signed the letter here earlier today. The agreement brings together the fixed-base operation (FBO) and ground handling services offered by Vnukovo International with the line maintenance capabilities of Lufthansa Technik to create the first one-stop VIP aviation hub in the region.
Lufthansa Technik will also provide aircraft-on-ground services through the mobile repair teams and other capabilities offered by its partners in the Platinet VIP aircraft support network.
“We foresee strong market growth in this important regional market and feel that we are addressing the need of aircraft owners and operators for comprehensive support, not only in Moscow, but also throughout Russia and the CIS region,” Henningsen said.
The Russian airport is investing significantly in developing the Vnukovo 3 terminal. An additional apron became operational last year, a full set of new ground-support vehicles and systems was procured, and a new motorway facilitating access to the city of Moscow was completed. A new VIP terminal and heated hangarage are due to be completed next month.
The new 7,000m² (75,000ft²) terminal is located next to the existing building. It will house five VIP lounges, a pilots’ lounge, conference rooms, offices, a kitchen fully equipped for airborne catering, two bars and a duty-free shop. Immigration and customs clearance and security checks will be carried out within the terminal. The new 5,000m² hangar will be able to accommodate eight Dassault Falcon 900s or four Bombardier Global Expresses simultaneously.
“This agreement with a renowned partner can only accelerate our planned development of Vnukovo 3 into the VIP airport of choice in the region,” said Vantsev.
Source: Flight International
