U.S. cargo airline to build large maintenance facility at Incheon airport

SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) — Atlas Air of the United States, one of the world’s largest air cargo carriers, plans to build a large-scale aircraft maintenance facility at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, the airport’s operator said Thursday.

Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), the operator of the nation’s largest airport, said it signed a formal agreement with Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWW), which owns Atlas Air, and Sharp Technics K (STK), a South Korean company specializing in aircraft maintenance, on the construction of the U.S. company’s Asia-Pacific aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Incheon.

AAWW is the parent company of three airlines, including Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo, and is considered the world’s largest international cargo airline group.

Under the agreement, AAWW and STK are to establish a foreign-invested joint venture, named Atlas Air Technical Service, and build and operate an MRO facility at the Incheon airport, IIAC said.

The MRO facility scheduled to be fully operational from early 2026 will be capable of servicing a total of four large aircraft at the same time, it noted.

The joint venture will then consider building a second MRO facility by 2030 if demand for aircraft maintenance increases in the future, it added.

IIAC said it expects the MRO facility to create 1,800 new jobs in phases from 2026.