At Brussels Airport, the new building for Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels, a subsidiary of engine manufacturer Safran Aircraft Engines, was inaugurated today. It houses a new maintenance shop for the LEAP-1 engines of latest generation aircraft. This building was realised by Brussels Airport Company, in the North Zone of the airport. This new site is both Net Zero Carbon and energy positive, which is fully in line with Brussels Airport’s strategy of providing quality infrastructure for its customers and fully committing to a sustainable future.
Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels has moved into its new site at Brussels Airport, in an 8,500 m2 maintenance shop built by Brussels Airport Company. The new building meets the highest environmental standards and is carbon neutral thanks to the use of 100% renewable energy, including solar panels on the roof and circular heating systems. The building also produces more energy than it consumes, making it energy-positive.
“We are delighted to welcome Safran Aircraft Engine Services to a brand new building at Brussels Airport. This state-of-the-art facility is an important milestone in our partnership of over 23 years with Safran and underlines our commitment to provide first-class infrastructure and support to our logistics partners,’ said Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. “With advanced energy-efficient technologies and a sustainable design, this new facility not only improves operational efficiency but also reflects our commitment to a sustainable future. We are incredibly pleased with this important realisation within our successful and long-standing partnership with Safran.”
This new maintenance workshop will contribute to the development of Safran Aircraft Engines’ global maintenance network and support the growth of the LEAP maintenance activities. The LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines power most of the new generation A320neo and B737 MAX aircraft. This new facility strengthens the existing capacity of Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels, which has been part of the Brussels Airport ecosystem for almost a quarter of a century.
‘We are delighted to strengthen our industrial footprint within the Brussels Airport ecosystem, where we can count on the highest standards in terms of low-carbon infrastructure and competences,’ said Jean-Paul Alary, President of Safran Aircraft Engines. ‘This new facility is an essential link in our global MRO network to support the growing fleet of LEAP engines worldwide while reducing the carbon footprint of our operations.’
Safran Aircraft Engine Services Brussels became the first workshop in the world to be certified for LEAP-1A maintenance in 2016 and has more than 75 years of experience in aircraft engine maintenance, repair and overhaul. This new-generation LEAP-1A engine, in use by more than 150 airlines worldwide, offers a 15-20% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as well as a significant improvement in noise levels compared with previous-generation engines.
Safran started its first operations at the new site at Brussels Airport this year and is eventually targeting around 120 workshop visits per year. There are already plans for an expansion project to accommodate the maintenance activities of the LEAP modules, currently carried out at SAESB’s historic site, by the end of this decade. This increase in engine and module activities is supported by an ambitious recruitment plan for more than 220 people by 2027, on top of the current 250 employees.
