Spanish low-cost airline Volotea has signed an agreement with Iberia Mantenimiento for the provision of maintenance, overhaul and repair (MRO) services. The provider will perform C checks on the carrier’s Airbus A320s at its hangars in Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat airports.
The agreement will come into force in January 2023 and will have an initial duration of five and a half years, until 2028. It is a further step in the process of renewing the airline’s fleet, which in 2021 completed its transition to one composed entirely of Airbus aircraft.
Volotea will send its A320s for category C overhauls, which must be performed every 14 to 16 months. The procedure requires taking the aircraft out of service, which must remain at the scheduled maintenance site until the stipulated work is completed. These are more exhaustive overhauls than A and B and may require between one and two weeks of work in dedicated hangars.
Iberia Maintenance has its own facilities for this type of service at its bases in Madrid and Barcelona. In total, it has six hangars and 16 aircraft positions. The workshops carry out engine and aircraft overhauls for Iberia’s fleet and other IAG companies, such as Vueling. It also provides services to third parties to increase its business volume and strengthen its position as a reference supplier.
Facilities in Barcelona. ( Photo by Iberia)
Carlos Muñoz, founder and CEO of Volotea, said: “This long-term agreement ensures us first-class maintenance services for our A320 fleet, also carried out with a leading and reputable Spanish company such as Iberia Maintenance, which allows us to support and promote this industry in our country”.
Javier Sánchez-Prieto, Iberia’s President and CEO, added: “This agreement with Volotea contributes to further consolidating Iberia Maintenance as a reference provider in Southern Europe for all MRO services and will also boost our maintenance business development project in Barcelona”.
