Третий столп Military Aviation Works № 2 SA

In November, WZL nr 2 SA completed the first aircraft painting service for LOT Polish Airlines.

In addition to activities in the defense industry sector and the provision of services, including maintenance of military aircraft and work with unmanned aerial systems, the third pillar of Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 2 SA in Bydgoszcz is the civil aviation market. In this segment, the second half of the outgoing year shows how quickly you can succeed in the market.

One of the prestigious marketing successes of WZL No. 2 SA in the civil aviation segment this year was the provision of painting services for Bombardier Q400 turboprop regional aircraft for LOT Polish Airlines - the first of which, SP-EQD, was underway in mid-November. The machine, serial number 4411, was produced in 2012 and was originally operated by EuroLOT, and after its collapse, it remained in Poland and went to LOT Polish Airlines.

Two Q400s for the national carrier is an important success, which may be followed by others - the systematic development of PLL LOT technology (currently has 90 aircraft of various types and is awaiting further deliveries), as well as the (re)launch of flights between Bydgoszcz and Warsaw, provides an opportunity strengthen cooperation. One example is the performance of line maintenance by WZL No. 2 SA employees on aircraft operating the above flights.

While LOT Polish Airlines is a new operator that picks up aircraft after the painting process in Bydgoszcz, the painting department is now an important link in the civil department. Initially, employees performed up to two services per month, now (on average) they work on three aircraft per month, and if necessary, they can also paint helicopters - most importantly, there are still reserves to increase the rate to four aircraft, if only there is such a demand market.

Aircraft repainted in WZL No. 2 SA fly to Europe and Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Thanks to information and promotional activities, as well as due to quality, requests for the possibility of providing the service are sent to Bydgoszcz from all over the world, and the schedule at the end of this year is already filled for several months in advance. It is important to note that aircraft of private customers are also drawn next to passenger carriers.

This shows that, despite the current focus on military service, the civilian market has confirmed the competence of the employees of the Bydgoszcz factories. Everything indicates that next year the paint shop will surprise the market with other interesting projects, as well as advanced technical capabilities, which we will announce in due course.

The growing number of requests, as well as the implemented (long-term) development strategy, led to the signing of a contract for the construction of a second civil aviation maintenance hangar with the expansion of the pre-garage site. this year. Its construction should be completed in the first half of next year, and work is expected to start in the second half of the year.

When designing the second hangar, the experience associated with the operation of a multifunctional repair and painting hangar (commissioned in 2016) was used. The 55 x 47 meter maintenance area will allow the simultaneous operation of two regional communications aircraft (ATR-42 and ATR-72 or Embraer ERJ-170 and ERJ-190) or one Boeing 737-800. This configuration precludes service for wide-body passenger aircraft, which is not a marketing target for the Bydgoszcz company at this stage.

This direction of work is the result of previous experience - the service space in the existing multifunctional hangar, which is the center of the third pillar of WZL No. 2 SA, is partially occupied by a medium vehicle Lockheed Martin C-130E Hercules. Air Force aircraft undergoing periodic inspections under the PDM procedure. Although the last of these should return to the unit by the end of the year, leaving the entire hangar for civilian use, more may soon follow, subject to the signing of an intergovernmental agreement between Poland and the United States for the acceptance of five more Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The USAF's surplus cargo aircraft will require a PDM overhaul, which can be combined with the overhaul. In addition, there is a possibility that customers around the world will be interested in servicing aircraft of this family in Bydgoszcz. This limits the ability to perform basic maintenance, but the maintenance procedure for one of the Embraer regional communications aircraft will soon begin, similar to the so-called. D-Check, which will test the skills of the civilian team.

For this reason, the board of WZL No. 2 SA decided to expand the capacity with another hangar, which will allow the maintenance of heavy civil aviation aircraft to begin. Taking into account the potential and opportunities, if (after its completion and launch) its slots are filled, you can always build another object of this type - there is still a reserve of space for the next building on the territory of the plant in Bydgoszcz, and, looking back, a commercial success is unlikely to be difficult.