MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg celebrated its 30th anniversary with a small, socially-distanced celebration with MTU management, local politicians, including Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke, and works council representatives, as well as employees who have been with MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg since it was founded in 1991. Over the past 30 years, the facility has developed to become a world leader in the MRO of narrowbody, regional, business jet and helicopter engines, as well as being a competence centre for industrial gas turbine maintenance and testing for the military TP400-D6 engine.

“We are extremely proud of all the facility has accomplished over the past three decades,” says CEO and chairman of MTU Aero Engines Reiner Winkler. MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg has supported over 400 customers over the past five years and has the most diverse product portfolio within the MTU Maintenance network. “We are also expanding this to include full CFM56-7B engine overhaul capacity and expect to induct the first engine of this type over the summer. This introduction ensures both the flexibility within our network to meet customer needs as well as the future strength of our presence here.”

MD and senior VP of MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg André Sinanian adds: “We also recently signed an eight-year extension of our GE branded service agreement for the continued maintenance, repair and overhaul of the CF34 engine family. This was a further and important step in maintaining our position as number one independent service provider for this engine and securing this programme for the future of our facility until 2030 and beyond.” MTU Maintenance recently celebrated the redelivery of its 500th CF34-10E and has carried out 1,400 shop visits for this engine since 2003.

Alongside these engine programmes, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg is specialised in the MRO and field service support of aeroderivative GE LM series industrial gas turbines and their packages. In fact, this area of the business saw around 25 per cent growth in 2020, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “As such, we've been expanding our yearly capacity for this engine type and have just introduced hot section repairs for the newest LM variant, the LM6000PF+,” explains Sinanian. But the portfolio additions do not stop there. In 2020, the facility introduced piece parts repairs for the PW1500G/PW1900G and recently completed the first PW800 low-pressure turbine overhaul, for which it is currently the only MRO provider worldwide.

MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg has also been home to the Pratt & Whitney Customer Service Centre Europe (CSC), a joint venture between itself and Pratt & Whitney Canada for the marketing and sales of P&WC engines in Europe, Middle East and Africa, since 1992. “The shop and mobile repair team service 70 engine variants on behalf of P&W CSC,” says Sinanian. “We are particularly proud to have been servicing air ambulance and air rescue customers throughout the crisis, ensuring they maintain critical services throughout.”

Minister President of Brandenburg Dietmar Woidke stated during his speech: “After a difficult year due to the pandemic, things are looking up at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg too. The company has been well managed throughout the crisis. With its stable base of around 850 employees and training programme for young people, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg is a key employer in the region. The company is essential to the continued success of our state as an aviation stronghold in Germany. MTU and Brandenburg go well together.”

In 2019, the facility inaugurated a new 6,500 sqm logistics building and reorganised the layout of its shops to increase efficiencies.

Brandenburg's Minister for Economic Affairs, Jörg Steinbach states: “MTU's employees are passionate, visionary and drive the company forward. They are the reason the capital city region of Berlin-Brandenburg has been able to develop into an important national and international aviation location over the past decades, in particular in terms of engine technology. We are delighted and grateful that companies such as MTU believe in our state and invested here very early on.”

Winkler concludes: “Since 1991, we have invested over 300 million euros in the site here at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg, 50 million alone in 2021. We remain committed to the region Berlin-Brandenburg, providing our customers the excellent and reliable engine care they've come to expect from MTU, as well as our team of employees, without whom none of this 30 year success would have been possible.”