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The Russian airline Smartavia is continuing its trustful partnership with Lufthansa Technik through a multi-year agreement covering extensive component services (Total Component Support – TCS®). This new contract governs supply for Smartavia's latest fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft over a period of six years. Service has started in May 2021, the contract includes up to ten aircraft that Smartavia currently plans to operate. 

Sergey Savostin, General Director of Smartavia, says: "We are happy to have secured the support of Lufthansa Technik for maintaining the components of our latest fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft. In particular, Lufthansa Technik's cooperation with Woodward and FADEC as the main manufacturers of engine-related components for the LEAP-engines has convinced us that this contract will ensure the operational stability of the new aircraft." 
 
Stanislav Mitin, Corporate Key Account Manager Russia & CIS of Lufthansa Technik, says: "We are proud to continue our partnership with Smartavia by extending our component support to their latest aircraft fleet. Lufthansa Technik has gained experience on maintaining the Airbus A320neo aircraft right from the start of operations, and we are happy to share our knowledge with our Russian partner."  
 
With this Total Component Support (TCS®) agreement, the carrier benefits from an individual supply concept that enables short and fast transport routes. The services covered by the contract are customized to fulfill the requirements of Smartavia. A pool of homebase stock for the Airbus A320neo fleet has been set up at Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg. Comprehensive logistics support by Lufthansa Technik offers Smartavia different flexible options that are particularly useful as long as the coronavirus-pandemic still affects air transport. 
 
Lufthansa Technik already provides component support to Smartavia's fleet of Boeing 737NG aircraft. In 2020, Lufthansa Technik has also concluded an agreement for engine services with the Russian carrier. 

The aerospace industry in Hamburg is preparing for flying with hydrogen. Therefore, the starting signal has now sounded for the set-up of a new development platform. Over the next two years and with funds provided by the city of Hamburg, Lufthansa Technik together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Center for Applied Aeronautical Research (ZAL) and Hamburg Airport will design and test extensive maintenance and ground processes in handling hydrogen technology. For this purpose, an aircraft of the Airbus A320 family will be converted into a stationary laboratory at Lufthansa Technik's base in Hamburg.

Liquid hydrogen (LH₂) is increasingly being more concretely envisaged in the development departments of large aircraft manufacturers as a sustainably producible fuel for future generations of commercial aircraft. In order to investigate the effects of the use of LH2 on maintenance and ground processes at an early stage, Lufthansa Technik, DLR, ZAL and Hamburg Airport are now pooling their extensive practical and scientific expertise. The aim is to jointly develop a pioneering demonstrator, and to operate it from 2022.

As the world's third largest aviation location, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is funding the research project with the largest single item in its special program to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the aviation industry.

"Hamburg is not just one of the three largest aviation clusters in the world, last year the city also developed the clear vision of becoming a major hydrogen metropolis," explained Michael Westhagemann, Senator for Economics and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. "I therefore see it as both a logical and gratifying step to combine these two core competences of Hamburg. The port, the energy sector, industry and the entire mobility sector are involved and are preparing for this groundbreaking technology. With this project, we are now also making an essential contribution to the transformation of aviation into a climate-neutral mobility solution of the future. The clear goal is to build up a hydrogen economy in Hamburg that will occupy a leading position internationally."   

In the first phase of the project, by the end of 2021 the partners aim to identify the most urgent fields of development for closer scientific examination and, on this basis, to elaborate the concept for subsequent practical testing. The practical implementation of the concept will start at the beginning of 2022 and will involve the modification of a decommissioned Airbus A320 aircraft. It will be equipped with an LH₂ infrastructure to be used as a fully functional field laboratory at Lufthansa Technik's base in Hamburg. In parallel, a virtual environment is being created at DLR that will be used to achieve digital and highly accurate mapping of the defined development fields. The new development platform is to provide inspiration for the design process of the next generation of aircraft by means of parameterized and highly accurate virtual models.

Against this background, Lufthansa Technik will primarily contribute its great operational expertise in the maintenance and modification of commercial aircraft, and can also incorporate the customer perspective through its close contact with airlines around the world. DLR will add its long-standing and cross-sector experience with hydrogen, and focus on the development of the virtual environment. ZAL will also participate with its extensive know-how in the field of fuel cell technology and its digital process mapping. As an associated project partner, Hamburg Airport will primarily contribute its experience from the operator's perspective, for example in defining requirements for the ground handling process of future LH₂-powered aircraft.

"There is no alternative to the transformation of our industry towards climate-neutral flying. With this project, we want to tackle this enormous technological challenge at an early stage – for the entire MRO industry as well as for us. In this way, we are actively securing the future, because we are building up know-how today for the maintenance and ground processes of the day after tomorrow," explained Dr. Johannes Bussmann, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Technik AG. "I am therefore pleased that we have succeeded in joining forces with strong partners in this project. And I am very grateful for the foresight of the city of Hamburg and its generous funding for this project."

"The aircraft of the future are lighter, more efficient and fly with alternative propulsion concepts. Hydrogen will play an important role in this. We need to learn – promptly and in detail – the requirements on aircraft and maintenance of real-world operation with hydrogen on the ground," said Dr. Markus Fischer, DLR Deputy Board Member Aeronautics. "In the project, we are using this data and experience to develop digital models for ground processes. These digital process twins can then be used directly in the design of future-oriented and yet practicable aircraft configurations."

 "The development of a field laboratory and a digital twin are important components of Hamburg's Green Aviation Technology Roadmap. They were developed together with the members of the Hamburg Aviation Cluster last year to strengthen Hamburg's competence in research and development in a European context," said Roland Gerhards, Chief Executive Officer of ZAL GmbH. "We thank the city of Hamburg for its support in now jointly implementing this location strategy for the development of future LH₂-powered aircraft."

Michael Eggenschwiler, CEO of Hamburg Airport, said, "Climate-friendly flying with hydrogen technology is only possible if the infrastructure on the ground also fits perfectly. Close coordination is required here, and we as an airport are pleased to be able to contribute our know-how to this important project – from questions of storage and distribution to the refueling process on the apron. At the airport, we also rely on hydrogen as the technology of the future for our ground transport. This project offers us the chance to identify and make the best possible use of synergy effects between gaseous hydrogen, such as that used for refueling our baggage tractors, and liquid hydrogen for aircraft refueling."

Lufthansa Technik Middle East (LTME) and Joramco, the Amman based MRO and the engineering arm of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), have signed an MoU to provide technical expertise and several MRO solutions to Joramco. 

The agreement will allow Joramco to enhance their in-house capabilities with the help of LTME, and allow LTME to relocate a number of its spares to the Joramco facility for consignemt stock and repair capability. This allows LTME to enhance their MRO business as they are Joramco's prefered MRO service provider for nacelles, ultimately this benefits our end-customers, providing the airline companies a cost effective solution. The official signing ceremony took place at this year's MRO Middle East Event 2021, at Joramco's booth where their CEO, Jeff Wilkinson, and the CEO of LTME, Ziad Al Hazmi signed the MoU agreement. 

Ziad Al Hazmi, Chief Executive Officer at Lufthansa Technik Middle East, comments: 

"In the ongoing crisis, we are all in this together and it is important to support each other. We are very happy and grateful to strenghten our relationship with Joramco through this new MoU. I would like to thank Joramco for the trust they have placed in our services and for choosing us as their preferred MRO service provider. The satisfaction of our customers is always a number one priority for both our companies, and I really look forward to seeing the fruits of our cooperation." 

Jeff Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer at Joramco, comments: 

"This agreement marks a significant step forward– and the start of what is sure to be a highly productive and beneficial partnership for both companies. We couldn't be more thrilled to be working with Lufthansa Technik, and look forward to a future of industrious collaboration, cooperation and progress." 

Boeing [NYSE: BA] signed agreements today with ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH and Lufthansa Technik that outline joint efforts to explore potential areas of collaboration in systems integration, training, support and sustainment work. The signed memorandum of understanding may lead to more definitive agreements should Germany select the P-8A Poseidon as its next maritime surveillance aircraft.

"Together with ESG and Lufthansa Technik, we will offer indigenous and cost-effective support, training and maintenance solutions that will bring the highest operational availability to the German Navy to fulfill their missions," said Dr. Michael Haidinger, president of Boeing Germany, Central & Eastern Europe, Benelux & Nordics. "Our partnership with ESG and Lufthansa Technik is another testimony to who we are and how we operate in Germany. We are shaping meaningful and long-term industry partnerships that impact the local economy."

Boeing, ESG and Lufthansa Technik have identified opportunities to collaborate in a number of areas and will explore these in more detail, including training and simulation, cyber security, systems integration, certification, environmental compliance, communications systems, electronic attack and electronic protect systems, aircraft and engine sustainment, component support services, predictive maintenance analysis and logistics services.

"This cooperation agreement underlines once again that we take our responsibility seriously when it comes to ensuring urgently needed capabilities," said Christoph Otten, CEO ESG. "As Boeing's strategic partner for the P-8A Poseidon fleet, we are pleased to be able to make the Bundeswehr a viable offer characterized by effectiveness, efficiency and the reliable delivery of services. As a long-standing partner of the German Bundeswehr and Navy aviators, ESG stands ready with its proven core competencies, solutions, services and products, particularly in the areas of systems integration, aviation certification, and secure communication systems."

Lufthansa Technik has a long history in technical support of Boeing airplanes around the world. In addition, under Boeing's Performance-Based Logistics program, Lufthansa Technik also provides hardware support to the Italian fleet of Boeing KC-767A tankers and has facilitated outstanding aircraft availability for the Italian Air Force.

"Lufthansa and Lufthansa Technik are partners with Boeing for more than 60 years. The companies know and value each other. This partnership is an excellent starting point for us to provide technical support at the highest level for this new aircraft, should our long-standing customer, the German Bundeswehr, procure P-8A," said Michael von Puttkamer, Head of Special Aircraft Services, Lufthansa Technik.

The P-8A Poseidon offers unique multimission aircraft capability and is the only aircraft in service and in production able to meet the full range of maritime challenges faced by European nations. With the P-8A, Germany will be able to leverage full integration and interoperability with
News Release NATO nations in the region. Additionally, the P-8A offers significant capability to meet Germany's collective defense obligations as part of Germany's NATO membership and commitment to EU defense and security, including the maritime domain.

Other German companies that already supply components to the P-8A Poseidon include Aljo Aluminium-Bau Jonuscheit GmbH and Nord-Micro GmbH.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. 

ESG Elektroniksystem und Logistik-GmbH is one of the leading German companies for the development, manufacturing, integration, maintenance, support and operation of complex, safety-critical systems, mission equipment, software and IT. ESG is a certified aviation company for aircraft and aviation equipment for the German Bundeswehr and an aviation engineering company in line with EASA Part 21J, EASA Part G and EASA Part 145. ESG's independent engineering spirit and in-depth domain knowledge are at the core of the company's entrepreneurial DNA. As a reliable technology and innovation partner to the German Armed Forces, government agencies and industry, ESG has been providing customized solutions, services and products for over 50 years. 

Lufthansa Technik and Canadian ultra low-cost carrier Flair Airlines have signed a comprehensive Total Component Support (TCS®) contract covering repair and overhaul of components for the airline's fleet of Boeing 737MAX 8 aircraft. Up to 24 aircraft from the airline's current and future fleet are included over a period of ten years. Support for the aircraft started in April 2021. 

Guy Borowski, Vice President Maintenance, Flair Airlines, says: "We are happy to have secured the support of Lufthansa Technik for the latest aircraft type that we have introduced. The reliability of the fleet is particularly important to us, as we have started an ambitious fleet expansion plan." 

"We are proud to continue our partnership with Flair by supporting its latest generation of aircraft. Lufthansa Technik has been offering MRO services for the 737 MAX 8 aircraft right from the start of operations of this type," says Matthias Zimmermann, Director Corporate Sales USA & Canada, Lufthansa Technik. 

With the Total Component Support TCS® agreement, Flair benefits from an individual supply concept that enables short, rapid transport paths. The new contract also includes support for the aircraft's Engine Related Components (ERC). Component support of the 737 MAX 8 fleet will be ensured through a home base stock in Toronto and Calgary. 

Lufthansa Technik already provides component support for Flair's Boeing 737-800 aircraft and has also performed landing gear overhaul for these aircraft in the past. 

With the recovery of the Chinese aviation market, Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen (LTS) has resumed its investments into new capabilities. The company is currently converting its bonded warehouse to a 2.100 sqm maintenance workshop as well as climate controlled material storage.

The corresponding conversion measures are scheduled to be completed in June 2021 and will enable LTS to further build up its capabilities. These will include providing component repair services for more than 70 Honeywell shipped components onboard the Airbus A350, for which the company will be the only licensed facility in Asia-Pacific. 

The increase of capabilities will also include a cooperation of LTS with its partner TAT Technologies. LTS will soon provide the Asia-Pacific market with the largest capability of heat transfer component repairs, overhaul and core replacement services, supporting most major platforms and components on the environmental control, bleed air and fuel inerting systems.

Additionally, LTS also plans to build up service capabilities for components of Meggitt fire & safety Systems, valves, sensors and fuel systems, with LTS serving as Meggitt OEM center of excellence in China.

Benjamin Scheidel, President and CEO of Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen said, "We are thrilled to resume investments to fill our agreements with our partners Honeywell, Meggitt and TAT with live, providing our customers with unique, world class quality and cost efficient solutions for legacy as well as the newest aircraft types."

The lower the frictional resistance of an aircraft in the air, the lower the fuel consumption. Using nature as a role model, the aviation industry has been intensively researching ways to reduce aerodynamic drag for many years. Now Lufthansa Technik and BASF have succeeded in making the breakthrough as part of a joint project. AeroSHARK, a surface film that mimics the fine structure of a shark's skin, is to be rolled out on Lufthansa Cargo's entire freighter fleet from the beginning of 2022, making the aircraft more economical and reducing emissions.

The surface structure consisting of riblets measuring around 50 micrometers imitates the properties of sharkskin and therefore optimizes the aerodynamics on flow-related parts of the aircraft. This means that less fuel is needed overall. For Lufthansa Cargo's Boeing 777F freighters, Lufthansa Technik estimates a drag reduction of more than one percent. For the entire fleet of ten aircraft, this translates to annual savings of around 3,700 tons of kerosene and just under 11,700 tons of CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent of 48 individual freight flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai.

"Responsibility for the environment and society is a key strategic topic for us," says Christina Foerster, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG with responsibility for sustainability. "We have always played a leading role in introducing environmentally friendly technologies. The new sharkskin technology for aircraft shows what strong and highly innovative partners can achieve collectively for the environment. This will help us to achieve our goal of climate neutrality by 2050."

"The aviation industry is facing similar challenges to the chemical industry: ongoing progress must be made with climate protection despite high energy requirements. By collaborating closely and successfully combining our know-how in surface design and aerodynamics, we have now succeeded in taking a major step forward. This is an excellent example of sustainability in practice, achieved through partnership-based collaboration and innovative technologies," says Dr. Markus Kamieth, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF.

"We are proud that we will now be able to operate our entire freighter fleet even more efficiently in the future thanks to sharkskin technology and reduce the carbon footprint of our modern fleet further. The investments we have made in rolling out AeroSHARK at Lufthansa Cargo consciously reaffirm our commitment to the United Nation's sustainable development goal on climate action," explains Dorothea von Boxberg, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Cargo AG.

In its cooperation with BASF, Lufthansa Technik is responsible for the material specification, approval by the aviation authorities and performance of aircraft modifications carried out as part of regular maintenance layovers. Backed by decades of experience as an approved aviation design organization, the company will obtain a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the 777F from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is required for operation.

"We have always used our wealth of expertise as a global market leader in technical aircraft services to also contribute to reducing the ecological footprint of our industry. In doing so, we can leverage significant savings potential from all aircraft generations," explains Dr. Johannes Bussmann, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Technik AG. "I am therefore very proud that we will soon be able to transfer the positive findings of the validation phase into the series application with Lufthansa Cargo. The extremely constructive collaboration with BASF is also the best example of cross-sector cooperation in the interest of the sustainability of the aviation industry."

The Coatings division of BASF is developing innovative, functional films in its Beyond Paint Solutions unit – such as the riblet surfaces, for example. A solution was implemented together with Lufthansa Technik which fulfills the strict requirements of the aviation industry. Exterior surfaces used in aviation are exposed to factors such as strong UV radiation as well as temperature and pressure fluctuations at high altitudes, among others. BASF has therefore focused its development on achieving extreme durability and weather resistance. The key criteria for use in aviation operation include simple application and handling as well as ease-of-repair, for which a custom concept has been developed.

"As an expert in surfaces, we implement bespoke solutions for our customers. The innovative sharkskin technology allows us to support Lufthansa in achieving its sustainability goals and in making the aviation industry a little more environmentally friendly," says Dirk Bremm, head of BASF's Coatings division and also responsible for functional films in this role.

The aviation industry has been researching the use of sharkskin for aircraft for many years, albeit often just on a small scale. For the first time at the end of 2019, Lufthansa Technik and BASF fitted almost the entire lower half of a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400's fuselage with 500 square meters of such a jointly developed sharkskin surface and had this modification certified by EASA. This aircraft (registration D-ABTK) subsequently validated the savings potential of the technology on scheduled long-haul services during more than 1,500 flight hours. This provided unequivocal proof that emissions were reduced by around 0.8% thanks to the sharkskin modification. The savings for the Boeing 777F are estimated to be even higher, because the application areas are even larger in this case due to the absence of window rows on a freighter, among other reasons. The savings are validated using a software for fuel consumption analyses developed by Lufthansa Technik, which allows the effectiveness of a wide variety of different aircraft modifications to be demonstrated reliably based on comprehensive data.

Lufthansa Technik and BASF intend to continue developing the new technology consistently to include additional aircraft types and even larger surfaces so that they can support airlines around the globe even more comprehensively in the future in reaching their sustainability goals. Initial model calculations show that use of sharkskin technology at its highest expansion level could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as three percent.

Lufthansa Technik and Airbus team up to offer customers a reversible Cargo-in-Cabin solution to satisfy urgent demand quickly and easily. The solution for the Airbus A330 family comprises the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) as well as material kits to modify the passenger aircraft for temporary cargo transport. Cargo capacity is thus increased by up to 15t of additional payload depending on aircraft configuration. Finnair is the first airline to modify an Airbus A330-300 to carry commercial, non-dangerous goods in the main pax deck.

Due to the slow air traffic recovery belly capacity is still low and not likely to return until 2024 to pre-Covid level. Additionally, the exemptions granted by the authorities in the beginning of the pandemic to reuse passenger cabins to transport medical supplies expired. Together with Airbus, Lufthansa Technik now responds with the "Temporary Cargo Cabin", an STC which allows to modify a passenger cabin into a cargo hold.

"We join forces with Airbus in times of crisis to deliver the best solution for aircraft operators. We mutually benefit from each other's expertise in many respects and thus create a blueprint for possible future co-operations'', says Soeren Stark, Chief Operations Officer & Accountable Manager at Lufthansa Technik. Daniel Wenninger, Airbus' VP Airframe Services, adds: "The cooperation with Lufthansa Technik enables the smooth implementation of this temporary cargo solution. The A330's best in class operational economics and versatile cabin makes it the perfect aircraft for cargo missions in the current context. With such a new solution, we keep on supporting our Airbus customers."

During MRO Americas 2021, Lufthansa Technik AG will put up large amounts of surplus aircraft parts for auction using the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) new MRO SmartHub e-Auction platform, for which the MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul) giant will act as the launching customer. In the global auction, Lufthansa Technik will offer a broad variety of aircraft parts for almost all current commercial aircraft types.

All auctioned components have been part of the company's surplus inventory for less than three years and are made available in various sub-packages to perfectly fit the needs of specific fleet operators or MROs. Commercial assets include: Airbus A320, A320neo, A330, A340, A380, MD-11, Boeing 737 NG, 737 MAX, 747, 757, 767, 777, and 787. Regional assets include: Bombardier CRJ, Embraer ERJ and De Havilland DHC-8-400. The material will come with dual or triple release certification (FAA/EASA/CAAC) mainly from Lufthansa Technik and with a 12-month warranty. 

To get accredited for the bidding process, all current and new customers can register via https://go.updates.iata.org/auction. The auction will start on April 26, 2021.  

"In this auction, we offer high quality and well-maintained aircraft components from our extensive surplus portfolio that we are permanently adjusting to the changing demand of our valued customers from all over the world," said Dr. Georg Fanta, Head of Commercials – Aircraft Component Services at Lufthansa Technik. "We are proud to be the first to partner with IATA`s new MRO SmartHub e-Auction platform in order to find new homes for these attractive assets." 

"The IATA MRO SmartHub was created in response to the industry's need for greater transparency and efficiency in the aircraft components and surplus parts market. By now adding the e-Auction functionality, we can provide an additional trading channel for buyers and sellers alike. We are honored to have such a renowned industry player as Lufthansa Technik as our launch customer and wish them a successful first auction," said Tim Schaaf, Director Business Development at IATA.

About IATA MRO SmartHub:
IATA MRO SmartHub is a neutral web-based platform enabling airlines, MRO service providers, OEMs, and appraisers to gain a greater transparency of the surplus aftermarket plus real-time access to fair market values (FMV) for aircraft parts. Utilizing the real-time fair market value, procurement professionals eliminate the necessity to conduct extensive and sometimes costly market research initiatives. MRO SmartHub offers industry-tuned capabilities allowing users to quickly and accurately value surplus part inventories for purchase. Combining all necessary procurement statistics with market availability and turnaround time, users can reduce operational resource requirements. 

At its meeting on April 22nd, the Supervisory Board of Lufthansa Technik AG early appointed Soeren Stark as Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Accountable Manager of Lufthansa Technik for further five years until 31 December, 2026.

Soeren Stark has been member of the Executive Board since January 2019. He is responsible for Technical Operations, Logistics and IT.  As the "accountable manager" within the meaning of EASA Part 145, Soeren Stark is the point of contact for the aviation authorities on all matters relating to the maintenance and manufacturing operations of Lufthansa Technik AG.

Soeren Stark has held various positions within Lufthansa Group since 2001. From 2016 until 2018, he was responsible for Operations at Lufthansa Cargo as member of the Executive Board.