Embraer’s OGMA MRO subsidiary is preparing to bring maintenance and overhaul capabilities for the Pratt & Whitney GTF-series engine in-house this year. The Portugal-based company—in operation for more than a century—is headquartered at Alverca Airport (LPAR). Alverca has a nearly 10,000-foot runway, which is ideal for OGMA’s civil aviation and defense support businesses.

Despite its relationship with the Brazilian airframer, OGMA is agnostic when it comes to the platforms it services. In 2020, the facility—located less than 10 miles north of Lisbon— was announced as a Pratt & Whitney Authorized Maintenance Center for the support of the PW1100G-JM engine. According to Carlos Naufel, Embraer’s president and CEO of services and support, it is currently completing the test cells and facilities required for this engine, which powers the Airbus A320neo.

“We’re doing final training, already disassembling an A320 engine there,” said Naufel at the recent Embraer media day in New York. “By April, we will be ready to support the fleet.” Since 2020, OGMA invested €74 million in new facilities and training of employees to start the support services of GTF engines. By 2027, the company expects to begin servicing the PW1900G as used on Embraer’s E-Jets Gen2 regional airliners.

OGMA sees this as a very lucrative endeavor for its authorized maintenance center, worth a potential of €500 million a year once the facility is up to full capacity. “If you hang around there, you will see new hangars being built, new facilities like cleaning, painting, and [non-destructive testing],” Naufel told the audience. “We are not creating something to be idle and be waiting, but we will grow as the business is growing so there is a huge potential.” Over the span of its contract with Pratt & Whitney, the company anticipates it will continue to expand its facilities to meet demand. “The overall business of the GTF is almost a €15 billion project,” said Naufel. “It’s a very long-term contract on that in terms of revenue streams.”