WestJet signs deal with Lufthansa Technik to build maintenance facility at Calgary airport

WestJet announced a multi-billion-dollar long-term commercial agreement with German aircraft services firm Lufthansa Technik to build a new aircraft engine maintenance facility in Calgary.

Lufthansa Technik will establish and operate a new engine repair station at the Calgary airport to service WestJet’s approximately 50 Boeing 737 Max airplanes, which make up around a quarter of its fleet.

WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech says before the end of the decade, the airline is projected to have more than 130 of the aircraft.

The facility will be built by the Calgary Airport Authority and is expected to cost about $120 million, and begin operating in 2027.

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The project includes funding from the federal and provincial governments as well as Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, Calgary Economic Development, Calgary International Airport and the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

WestJet says the 15-year contract with Lufthansa Technik is the largest in the carrier’s 30-year history.