Spain’s Teruel Airport (TEV) will soon boast a new aircraft painting facility. The widebody hangar will be developed and operated by the Shannon-based aviation services provider, International Aerospace Coatings Group (IAC), with the 25-year agreement expected to create around 80 highly skilled jobs for the region.
Including its new facility at Teruel Airport, IAC will then boast a portfolio of 18 hangars, located at eight airports across the US and Europe. The group’s core activity is aircraft painting, but it also provides a number of other services, including aircraft interior refurbishment and aviation technical services. In doing so, IAC employs around 1,000 people worldwide.
Ongoing expansion for IAC
IAC was acquired by Tiger Infrastructure in December 2022. At the time, the CEO of Tiger Infrastructure, Emil W. Henry, Jr., outlined plans to grow the business, and in particular, its asset portfolio.
This latest deal with Teruel Airport shows the expansion plan is coming to fruition. The CEO of IAC, Martin O’Connell, explained the importance of such facilities, saying,
"We are planning now for an anticipated shortfall in capacity within the global aircraft maintenance sector over the next three to four years. Demand for our services following the COVID-19 pandemic has soared, and we are strategically selecting locations that will support our growth as the needs of our customers grow. Widebody hangars, such as our new painting facility at Teruel, are particularly important to the business, as there are a limited number of dedicated aircraft painting hangars capable of handling widebody aircraft in Europe.
"At IAC we are continually identifying new opportunities for the business in the US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia, and we have ambitious plans that are exciting for the company, our employees, customers, and the wider markets in which we operate.”
In the past, IAC has worked with numerous airlines globally, including the IAG Group, Qantas, Evelop Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines.
Teruel Airport – storage for up to 250 aircraft
Teruel Airport, located in eastern Spain, opened its doors in 2013. While the airport is not equipped to handle passenger traffic, it is the largest MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility in Europe. It also has storage capacity for up to 250 aircraft.
Throughout the pandemic, airlines from across the world parked over 100 aircraft at Teruel Airport. This included a large number of Airbus A380s, belonging to carriers such as British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air France. Thanks to the region’s arid climate, the airport is well-suited to both aircraft painting and long-term storage.
The president of the Teruel Airport Consortium, José Luis Soro, celebrated the news of IAC's new facility, saying,
“The arrival of IAC at Teruel Airport completes the aircraft maintenance cycle, making the airport more competitive compared to other facilities in Europe and supports our long-term growth plans.”
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