T’way Air announced on the 6th that it will begin operations in 2028 after establishing an aircraft maintenance facility, a hangar, in the advanced complex aviation area at Incheon International Airport. T’way Air expects that operating its own hangar will meet the recent surge in maintenance demand and reduce reliance on overseas maintenance.
On the 30th of last month, T’way Air held a signing ceremony for the implementation agreement of the "Incheon International Airport Advanced Complex Aviation Area Aircraft Maintenance Facility (H2) Development Project" with Incheon International Airport Corporation. T’way Air CEO Jung Hong-geun and Incheon International Airport Corporation President Lee Hak-jae attended the ceremony.
T’way Air plans to construct a hangar facility that can accommodate two large aircraft simultaneously on a site of 66,115 square meters, along with office space for more than 800 employees. A total budget of 150 billion won will be allocated for the project. T’way Air expects to maintain 70 aircraft annually and save approximately 12.9 billion won in maintenance expenses, including major and return maintenance, through the operation of its own hangar.
T’way Air intends to proceed with building the hangar with the main design this year, construction commencing in the first half of 2026, completion in 2027, and operations starting in early 2028. In the first three years after completion, maintenance operations will focus on T’way Air’s aircraft, while from the fourth year onward, domestic airlines will be prioritized for outsourced maintenance.
Once the hangar is completed, it is expected that reliance on overseas maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services will decrease. Currently, domestic MRO facilities operate mainly for large airlines, which means many domestic carriers are using overseas MRO services, according to T’way Air. With the expansion of medium- and long-haul routes, T’way Air is facing increased maintenance demand due to the growth in its fleet.
T’way Air noted that it expects to significantly relieve the maintenance expenses and time burdens across the domestic low-cost carrier (LCC) sector, enhancing the competitiveness of the domestic MRO industry, and aims to enter the global MRO market to attract maintenance contracts from overseas airlines.