Delta CEO Ed Bastian outlined the importance of the airline’s maintenance, repair and overhaul business to its long-term future at the annual MRO Americas conference in Atlanta.
The business is expected to generate close to US$1 billion in revenue this year, he said, and is on a path to double that figure over the next five years.
Bastian highlighted the investments Delta has made in TechOps, particularly the new engine shop and test cell which recently opened. “These are investments in Delta’s future,” he said, noting that the new state-of-the-art test cell is the first built in the U.S. in more than 20 years.
He also stressed the importance of Delta’s workforce development to ensure a steady pipeline of new Delta people in coming years. “We’re going to be hiring 500 AMTs just this year,” he said.