A few years ago, the prospect of attracting investments in the field of air maintenance in small Cyprus might have been characterized as an illusory dream. Now, however, our country, based in Larnaca, has attracted investments of tens of millions in this sector. The activity of the Cypriot company UAMCO, which is unknown to the general public, offers very great prospects, since it put Cyprus on the world map of aircraft engine maintenance.
"F" was at the company's premises in Aradippou Industrial and recorded images of female and male engineers, among them many Cypriots, who are involved in the repair and maintenance of aircraft engines. With the use of state-of-the-art machines worth millions of dollars, the company, which has a partnership with one of the world's largest aircraft engine manufacturers (GE Aerospace), has successfully completed the repair of 17 aircraft engines.
Behind the creation of UAMCO Ltd (United Aerospace Maintenance Company), which became active in February 2025, is Yiannis Savvides (founder and CEO). He is a Cypriot aircraft engineer, who worked, among others, at Cyprus Airways, Emirates, British Airways, Virgin Australia and for several years at Israel Aerospace Industries.
He says he is proud of the company's work and recounts how the first aircraft engine maintenance unit in Cyprus was created. "Four years ago I went to GE Aerospace in Cincinnati. We had the map of the whole world and where their own workshops were. I told them "put a dot in Cyprus as well, make a circle corresponding to four hours of flight and see if you have a laboratory". They told me: 'we don't have a laboratory.'"
This is how he started the process of creating the facilities in Aradippou, which, as he says, are the only ones of their kind in the whole of Southern Europe. "Around the world, for the machines that we maintain, there are respectively 10 other laboratories. We are licensed by the company's manufacturer, which is CFMI, which is based in France and was created 70 years ago, following a collaboration between the American and French governments. At the moment in the laboratory we are repairing two types of engines: CFMI LEAP-1A, which is applied to the new Airbus 320 and CFMI LEAP-1B, which is for the Boeing 737 MAX."
UAMCO's client is GE Aerospace, with which, according to Mr. Savvidis, there is a so-called Offload Agreement. "We, at the moment, have taken motorcycles because of our geographical location, regardless of whether we are in the EU and have certification from the European Civil Aviation Authority and the respective authorities of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. We get machines from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It is various airlines from these three countries, which buy machines from the manufacturer. We are proud because, so far, we have delivered 17 machines, which fly all over the world without problems. These aircraft engines cost $20 million and cost a few million to repair, depending on the condition of the engine."
50% of the specialized staff are Greek Cypriots
When it started its activities, the company had 11 staff and is now 45. "Our company's policy was clear from the beginning. 50% are specialized engineers from abroad and the other 50% are Greek Cypriot mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, aeronautics graduates, etc. They enter a special program working with the others to get to this point."
A grandiose development plan is in place
The investment in the building and machinery in Aradippou Street, so far, reaches €30 million, according to Mr. Savvidis, while the company has implemented a grandiose development plan in two other plots in Aradippou Industrial Street. "We will set up a laboratory for a specialized aircraft engine test cell. Right now, the machines we finish here are going to Brazil. For this project, the total investment is €120 million. The facilities will be four times larger than those here and we have already completed 30%. At the moment, we have turned to banking organizations for financing the project. When this project is finished, the company will now have 120-130 staff," said Mr. Savvidis, who spoke of huge prospects. "Cyprus will be in demand after the expansion. Right now, there are 10,000 aircraft engines that work in the air, and every 3 to 4 years they have to get off the plane to do this maintenance. Our goal is for the company to make 100-150 machines per year."
Concluding, he stressed that his goal was to create something for the future of the Republic of Cyprus. "Thank God, we make money as a country from services, tourism, etc. But we have to get to another point, because we are smart people. We have a very high percentage of university graduates and some are forced to work abroad. We constantly have applications from Cypriots who work abroad and wish to return."
