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T GMF AeroAsia, a subsidiary of national flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia, is going to construct its fourth hangar in September with investment of US$52 million to keep up with Garuda’s expanding fleet.

The new Hangar 4, which will be used to hold aircraft in protective storage, will also enable GMF to repair and overhaul more aircraft, helping it to generate more revenue.

“The aviation industry in the country continues to grow because every airline expands its fleet. This hangar will ensure that we keep up with growing demand and deliver the best services to enhance aviation safety in Indonesia,” GMF’s corporate secretary, Dwi Prasmono Adji, told The Jakarta Post.

The Garuda Group, for instance, will operate 194 aircraft, with an average fleet age of five years by the end of 2015, through its Quantum Leap program. Meanwhile, the country’s largest budget carrier, Lion Air, will operate as many as 178 aircraft by the end of 2016.

Lion and private carrier Sriwijaya Air also use GMF’s hangars, in addition to Garuda.

Hangar 4 will be constructed on an 18,000-square-meter plot of land and will be equipped with a purpose-built docking platform for heavy maintenance of narrow-body aircraft, such as the Boeing-737 family, according to Dwi.

The hangar will also be able to house 16 narrow-body aircraft at the same time.

“Construction will take approximately one year and we expect it to be operational by the end of 2013,” said Dwi.

GMF facilities currently cover 480,000 square meters of built-up floor space, comprising the 22,000-square-meter Hangar 1, and Hangars 2 and 3, which cover 23,000 square meters each.

The existing three hangars are now able to accommodate as many as 29 aircraft.

GMF was also planning to build a fifth hangar, which would house four wide-body aircraft, including the B-747 series and Airbus 330s, at the same time after the fourth hangar’s construction has been completed, Dwi added.

The fifth hangar is projected to commence its commercial operations by the end of 2014.

GMF plans to spend $17 million in investment throughout this year to increase its capability to carry out an overhaul of the B-737 Next Generation series and A-320s’ landing gear. These two planes were currently the most popular ones in the world, Dwi said.

“Local carriers don’t have to send their aircraft to have their landing gear overhauled abroad anymore because GMF already has the facilities. This will also help the carriers to reduce their operating costs,”
he added.

GMF will be able to provide the overhaul service for A-320 aircraft in the middle of next year as the company is currently developing the facilities. The new overhaul facilities will help the firm to collect $113 million in additional revenue.

As of today, GMF AeroAsia has facilities to undertake A-Check — light maintenance — to D-Check, the most comprehensive checks for an airplane. It has also been able to conduct Section 41 modification work on Boeing 747s for the
last 10 years.

Section 41 modification involves replacing or reinforcing the aircraft’s skin, frame, stringer, intercostals and other components in the nose area of Section 41, based on the Service Bulletin published by the US-based Boeing Company.