Lufthansa Technik Component Services (LTCS), headquartered in Tulsa since 2012, dug a deeper foothold in the city Thursday.
Before a crowd of about 250 people, the aircraft component services company broke ground on a new 25,000-square-foot building, which will bring its total expanse in Tulsa to more than 140,000 square feet.
“With this expansion, we are enhancing our capacities and capabilities to support airlines in the Americas while strengthening our position as a strategic partner in the region,” said Thomas Illner, managing director and head of Region Americas at LTCS.
Michael Scheferhoff, departing co-managing director and head of Operations Americas at LTCS, said the company employs about 360 people in Tulsa. A total of 90 new workstations will be added to meet the enhanced operational needs of the facility.
“The expansion not only adds physical space for operations but also paves the way for further growth, including strengthening the team with more colleagues,” Scheferhoff said. “The new building makes Lufthansa Technik an even more visible and attractive employer in Tulsa.”
Set for completion by the end of 2025, the new building will house the administrative departments and an updated avionics workshop, both of which will relocate there. The project also includes the renovation of the existing hangars, with the newly available space being repurposed to expand shop space and boost production capacity.
Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, acknowledged LTCS as a cog in a state aviation/aerospace sector that supports roughly $44 billion in annual economic activity in the state.
“When you combine airports, military aviation and off-airport aviation and aerospace companies, that amounts to $11.7 billion in annual payroll and nearly 240,000 jobs across direct, indirect and induced impacts,” Neal said. “Lufthansa’s new facility, for which we are breaking ground today, is the latest jewel in Oklahoma’s aviation legacy.”
In addition to enhancing its capacity, LTCS plans to introduce new capabilities, including the repair of Integrated Drive Generators (IDG), a component that transforms turbine speed from the aircraft’s engines into a consistent generator speed to supply electrical power onboard. The new service complements LTCS’s recent addition of Air Data Inertial Reference Units (ADIRUs) repair capabilities. These units provide key information about the aircraft’s speed, altitude and position.
LTCS serves about one-quarter of the world’s 20,000 commercial aircraft. A wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of German-based Lufthansa Technik, LTCS employs more than 730 people across 11 locations in North America, Central America and South America.
“Lufthansa Technik’s choice to grow and invest further at Tulsa International Airport reflects their success and the essential contributions they make to our community,” said Paul Myers, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Tulsa International Airport. “The company has been a great tenant and partner of ours for years, and we’re excited for this next chapter for their organization. “This expansion is yet another prime example of the strength of the aviation industry in Tulsa and the tremendous opportunities for growth at our airport.”