Lufthansa Technik Puerto Rico reopens after Hurricane Maria

Three weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MOR) operation Lufthansa Technik Puerto Rico (LTPR) redelivered its 100th heavy maintenance check for Spirit airlines, the launch customer for the facility.

The 215,000-square-foot facility, located on the western end of the island, adjacent to the Rafael Hernandez Airport (BQN), was at the epicenter of the hurricane, and LTPR said that one of its maintenance lines is currently being used as a “humanitarian bay,” facilitating the delivery of goods and supplies to the local communities.

Pat Foley, CEO of LTPR, explained that the MRO could start service in large part because its BQN hangar only sustained “minor damage” during the storm. Foley noted that, “as with the rest of the island, we suffered from tremendous problems with electricity, water supply, IT and general communications.”

After establishing the safety of employees after the hurricane, Lufthansa Teknik assembled a special situation management team, and specialists were sent to Puerto Rico with one of the first flights after the re-opening of Puerto Rico’s airports.

Meanwhile to the east, the island’s primary airport, Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), has resumed normal air traffic flow, according to the FAA.