Honeywell – the multinational present in the areas of industrial automation, aerospace technologies and energy transition – has launched Europe’s first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre for its F124-GA-200 engine in Madrid.

The facility, shared with the Spanish company ITP Aero, will serve to speed up response times and strengthen regional defence support, as the engines will be transported and repaired locally. Up until now, there have only been two regional service centres for this engine, one in the United States and one in the Asia-Pacific.

The inauguration of the centre, which is located in the Madrid town of Ajalvir, near Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport and the Torrejón de Ardoz air base, comes just over a year after ITP Aero obtained the F124 licence.  Its opening is the result of months of collaboration between the US company and the Spanish company to develop the capacity and infrastructure required to meet regional needs.

Light combat aircraft
The facility has been fully equipped to provide repair and overhaul services for the over 150 F124 engines currently operating in Europe. This engine is used in military trainer aircraft and today’s most advanced light combat aircraft.

According to Honeywell Aerospace Technologies’ Vice President and General Manager, Engines, John Head, the opening of the new facility in Madrid “reinforces our commitment to improving engine availability and operational flexibility for our European customers” and, he added, “By localising MRO capabilities in Europe, we are significantly improving delivery times and reducing the logistical burden on our F124 engine operators”.

NATO defence capabilities
ITP Aero’s Executive Vice President of MRO, Alan Jones, said, “Becoming the first European authorised service centre for F124 engines is a significant achievement for ITP Aero” and, he explained, “This milestone consolidates our long-standing partnership with Honeywell and represents a major step forward in our growth strategy, reinforcing Spain’s role in supporting NATO’s defence capabilities”.

ITP Aero, which specialises in designing, developing, manufacturing and providing propulsion services throughout the life cycle of aero engines, has a 35-year track record and over 5,000 engines in service.

^{Photo: Honeywell}