Pioneering cabin design

Daniel Hepworth and Andreas van de Kuil have taken over new management positions within Lufthansa Technik's Corporate Sales organization. Daniel Hepworth, who was until end of December 2021 GM Corporate Sales for UK, Ireland, France and BeNeLux, has become Head of Sales Europe, effective since 1 January 2022. At the same time, Andreas van de Kuil, former Director Customer Service and Sales Americas of Lufthansa Technik Component Services, has started as Head of Sales Eastern Europe & CIS.

Since 2016, Daniel Hepworth led a multinational team and was responsible for the development and implementation of the sales strategy for the UK, Ireland, France and BeNeLux. He has more than 20 years experience in international MRO sales,  including 14 years spent at Lufthansa Technik in various sales positions in Europe and North America.

Starting in 2009, Andreas van de Kuil held different positions in Lufthansa Technik's Corporate Sales organization and as CEO of Lufthansa Technik Vostok Services. In 2017, he joined Lufthansa Technik Component Services in the US. In his last function as Director Customer Service and Sales Americas, he was responsible for Customer Service, Operational Management, Key Account Management, Sales and Pricing.

Kai-Stefan Roepke, Vice President Corporate Sales Europe, Middle East and Africa at Lufthansa Technik said:  "I am very pleased that with Daniel and Andreas we have been able to recruit two very experienced and customer-oriented colleagues from our own ranks for these key positions in our largest market. Both already know their new areas of responsibility very well from their past activities and can therefore take on their new tasks without delay. This is particularly important, as it ensures that we remain close to our valued customers, growing with them as we come out of the pandemic."

Collins Aerospace in Wroclaw, Poland has been awarded a first-time support agreement for evacuation slides by Spairliners, an independent component aftermarket service provider specialized in the support of the E-Jet aircraft family. Under the agreement, Collins will provide full test and inspection of evacuation systems, as well as repair, modification and replacement services. The operational and technical engineering support from the Collins Wroclaw facility offers efficient, fast and reliable services for all qualifying component and repair work, including access to loan and exchange units.

"This agreement ensures that the fleet of more than 200 E-Jets supported by Spairliners are maintained with the quality and consistency in evacuation slide service that Collins can provide," said Sean Lyons, Vice President of business development for Collins Aerospace. "With spare parts available and dedicated teams specializing in Collins' evacuation systems, our MRO network can quickly and efficiently finalize repairs, returning aircraft to service in a timely manner."

"We are looking forward to enhancing our network of partners and providers through this new partnership with Collins. This is part of our permanent search, within the MRO system, for the best solutions for our customers. Spairliners' agreement with Collins will ensure the timely supply of such critical parts as evacuation slides. Combined with our unique expertise in supply chain, engineering and smart inventory management, Collins' agility and experience will result in higher availability, faster turnaround times and thus better service for our customers," said Benoît Rollier, Spairliners' Managing Director and CFO.

The agreement was originally signed during the MRO Europe in Amsterdam and the 50th repair together was now celebrated during a site visit at the Collins Aerospace facility in Wroclaw, Poland.

About Spairliners

Spairliners GmbH was founded in 2005 as an equally split joint venture between Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance and Lufthansa Technik, with its headquarters located in Hamburg, Germany. The company offers flexible component services for the Embraer E-Jet Family, (E170/175 and E190/195 series) and the Airbus A380. Spairliners provides multiple services combined with engineering expertise. The services include component access, on-site stock lease, stand-alone repair, and asset optimization. As a market leader in integrated component care, Spairliners is a trusted and proven supplier to world-renowned airlines such as KLM Cityhopper, Air France HOP!, and Lufthansa CityLine. The company operates warehouses and logistic hubs in Paris, Frankfurt, Singapore, Miami, and Munich.

About Collins Aerospace

Collins Aerospace, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp. is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the extensive capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and broad expertise to solve customers' toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market.

Spairliners, an independent component aftermarket service provider specialized in E-Jet aircraft family, and Austrian Airlines sign a flight hour agreement to extend the component support for Austrian Airline's E-Jet fleet.

Austrian Airlines and Spairliners have signed a long-term flight hour agreement to extend their business relationship for the component support of Austrian Airline's E-Jet fleet. Austria's leading airline currently operates 17 Embraer E195 aircraft. The contract includes access to Spairliners' comprehensive component pool, repair services via their extensive maintenance network across the globe, logistics, as well as a dedicated on-site stock at Austrian Airline's home base at Vienna Airport.

"We are very pleased to be selected by Austrian Airlines as their preferred partner for component support of their E-Jet fleet. At Spairliners, we provide our customers with reliable, future-oriented solutions that are fully customized to their requirements at very competitive terms. The renewal of our contract proves that our commitment to provide the best possible support to Austrian Airlines during the pandemic, with scalable solutions to suit their needs, further strengthened our long-standing, successful relationship", says Taco Stouten, Head of Sales and Marketing at Spairliners.

"Spairliners has proven to be a very reliable and competent partner to us, and we therefore continue to put our trust in them to provide full component support for our E-Jet fleet. We appreciate the flexible solutions and high level of collaboration they offered during the pandemic and look forward to working together with Spairliners in the future", says Wolfgang Dielacher, Head of Strategic Procurement Technics at Austrian Airlines.

About Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines is Austria's leading airline with a global route network of over 100 destinations.  Vienna Airport is located in the heart of Europe and is therefore the ideal starting point for travelling to Central and Eastern Europe. Austrian Airlines is part of Lufthansa Group, the biggest airline network in Europe and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global network of international airlines.

In December of this year, Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey (LTAA) marks 10 years of experience with the maintenance, repair and overhaul of the CF 34-10E engine – a type used in the Embraer 190 and 195 regional jets and the Embraer Lineage 1000 business jet. LTAA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik, added the CF34-1 and CF34-3 to its portfolio as early as 1991, and they were joined by the CF34-8 in 2002. Since then, LTAA's employees have supported over 550 CF34-10E shop visits and more than 270 on-site visits for customers.

In 2014, the 100th shop visit of a CF34-10E took place. Even if the engine manufacturer General Electric (GE) decided in early 2020 to discontinue new production of the 10E, its future prospects continue to be good, as Raimund Schnell, Vice President Marketing & Sales, explains: "More than 1500 CF34-10 engines are currently in operation around the world, and the 10E is currently experiencing a revival. We have up to 120 maintenance events per year, and we are assuming further growth in the coming years."

Prior to the introduction of the CF34 family's largest engine, which produces up to 20,000 pounds of thrust, the existing test bay had to be enlarged. What is more, preparations were needed for those engine modules that were likely the most maintenance-intensive parts for operators. Experience quickly revealed that the low-pressure turbine (LPT) in particular was showing signs of wear.  Thus LTAA developed an LPT Module Modification Program. At the heart of the program is the on-site removal of the LPT followed by a workshop repair – cost-effectively and with very short turnaround times: up to four days for the removal and reinstallation of the LPT module, plus up to nine days for the required changes to the module in the workshop. The entire process thus lasted just 14 days – as opposed to the more than 35 days required for a regular workshop visit. In addition, it was possible to dispense with the test run that otherwise would have been necessary. LTAA itself largely developed the tool sets needed to replace the module and procured the fixtures for removing and transporting the engine as well as the transport containers for the LPT module. The program was not limited to the facility in Alzey; LPT modules were removed and reinstalled at sites such as Beijing or Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. During the last expansion stage of the program, the LPT modules were even completely modified in Tulsa and no longer had to be transported to Alzey.

"In addition to the benefits for customers, the LPT Module Modification Program also enabled us to eliminate the backlog created by the delayed introduction of the CF34-10 at LTAA, and maintain our standing with respect to the competition," recalls Thomas Breit, Entry into Service Manager CF34-10 at LTAA.

In parallel, a "top and lower case procedure" for the compressor was developed with GE and introduced to deal with more sizable compressor damage. It considerably reduced the work needed for these repairs. The procedure was first carried out on-site for a customer in Australia, avoiding the transport of the engine all the way from Australia to Alzey.    

LTAA's long years of experience are valued by the engine's manufacturer, GE, as well as by customers: "Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey and Finnair have been collaborating on CF34 engine shop visits for several years successfully. As a customer, we especially appreciate the clear and transparent shop visit process and that there is good communication and seamless co-operation," notes Marko Anttila, Head of Continuing Airworthiness and Powerplant Management at Finnair. We require reliability, cost-effectiveness, and innovative thinking from our MRO suppliers, which we think Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey has provided very well. This has been essential during the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic as well."

In addition, LTAA collaborates on the optimization of manuals and pursues an ongoing exchange with GE. The company also supports the OEM in short-term projects.   

Last night the first of two Airbus A321neoLR (Long Range) for the German Air Force arrived at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg. The aircraft bears the military registration 15+10. Its sister aircraft 15+11 will follow in the coming weeks. This marks the start of the cabin conversion of the two aircraft, carried out by the Original Equipment & Special Aircraft Services business unit, for various mission types such as troop transports, parliamentary flight operations and the MedEvac (medical evacuation) role. Delivery of the converted aircraft is scheduled for the second half of 2022.

With the Airbus A321neoLR, the German Air Force will receive a future-proof, modern passenger aircraft which can be deployed on short-, medium- and long-haul flights. With the installations made by Lufthansa Technik, the aircraft can be used in four different interior configurations. Their passenger transport capacity ranges up to 136.

Furthermore, either the transport of up to six intensive care patients or the transport of up to twelve slightly or moderately ill/injured patients as well as various mixed configurations for patient transport are possible. Lufthansa Technik will therefore supply twelve Patient Transport Units (PTUs) as well as two reserve units required for the MedEvac role to the German Armed Forces.

Ultra low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines chooses Lufthansa Technik to repair and overhaul 21 CFM56-5B engines as well as to supply Mobile Engine Services. In the next five years Lufthansa Technik will perform overhauls and surgical repairs on the engines which fly under Frontier's fleet of 112 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, will overhaul the engines, whereas surgical repairs can be done locally at Lufthansa Technik's facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To this end, major investments were made at the Tulsa engine shop: New tooling was acquired, mechanics were trained and the existing test cell was upgraded to cover CFM56-5B testing. The team in Tulsa will also perform Mobile Engine Services for repairs necessary between overhauls, aiming to significantly reduce operational downtime and avoid unnecessary shop visits. Depending on the requirements of the individual repair solution, the available options range from on-wing and in-field services to more complex repairs performed at the shop in Tulsa. 

"Lufthansa Technik is an important and long-standing partner for us, which makes us confident that they will meet our high expectations regarding engine maintenance, flexibility, and price," said Trevor Stedke, senior vice president of operations, Frontier Airlines.  

Dietmar Focke, vice president engines, Lufthansa Technik, added: "We are extremely happy that we were able to win the trust of Frontier. Engines are the most valuable asset of an aircraft. We look forward to growìng our partnership and support Frontier's growth, as one of the most successful airlines in the American market, with a focus on providing affordable air travel throughout the U.S. and beyond. We will fulfill the trust placed in us and prove that we can provide high-quality and reliable services at a reasonable price." 

TAP Air Portugal and Lufthansa Technik AG have signed a five-year agreement for digital support by AVIATAR for its entire Airbus fleet. To digitally optimize its aircraft operations and benefit from cost savings, TAP Air Portugal will use AVIATAR's solutions - including Condition Monitoring, Event Analytics and Fleet Map. In addition, the airline becomes development partner for future solutions on the digital platform. 

AVIATAR's aircraft health monitoring solutions were tested by the TAP Air Portugal project team in parallel and in place of their current solution, including a detailed quality assessment. Within the AVIATAR community, the project team and AVIATAR team worked together to improve and adapt some of the solutions already. This enabled a collaborative development of the overall solution for TAP Air Portugal and also improved the user experience for the entire community. 

 "TAP Air Portugal follows a stringent selection process for service providers. Following an experimental period, AVIATAR has met and confirmed our expectations concerning functionality, teamwork and continous improvement efforts to strengthen and digitalize our technical fleet support," said Mário Lobato de Faria, Chief Technical Officer of TAP Air Portugal. "Therefore, we are looking forward to benefitting from increased aircraft availabilty, paving the way for predictive maintenance and further cost savings as well as a close, future-oriented relationship with our partner Lufthansa Technik."  

"TAP Air Portugal is Portugal's leading airline and we are very proud that AVIATAR has been selected as long-term preferred partner," said Kai-Stefan Roepke, Vice President Corporate Sales EMEA at Lufthansa Technik. "Our experience in digital fleet services and tech-ops support will help us to further improve TAP Air Portugal's fleet operations. We look forward to continuing our trustful partnership and further expanding our collaboration also as innovative development partners." 

Launched in 2017, AVIATAR is the independent platform for digital products and services developed by Lufthansa Technik. The platform offers its users modular digital products ranging from predictive maintenance to fulfilment and automated solutions. AVIATAR combines fleet management solutions, data science and engineering expertise to provide a comprehensive range of integrated digital services and products for airlines, MRO companies, OEMs and lessors that seamlessly integrate with physical fulfilment in TechOps and beyond. 

Today at the Dubai Air Show, Etihad Airways PJSC and Lufthansa Technik AG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding a comprehensive partnership on the exploration of digital solutions that is set to further optimize the airline's technical fleet and operations management. The field of cooperation will encompass several products from Lufthansa Technik's industry-leading AVIATAR digital operations suite. Focusing on digital and sustainable tech-ops, it covers the use of Fuel Analytics, Condition Monitoring and automated Line Maintenance Planning in the beginning.

To further boost its fuel efficiency and hence reach its sustainability goals, Etihad will be one of the first airlines to take advantage of AVIATAR's innovative Fuel Analytics app. With the help of artificial intelligence and by the use of full flight data, Fuel Analytics provides Etihad with the transparency needed to identify any unusual fuel consumption. The interconnection between fuel efficiency and technical as well as operational events enables an automated root cause identification of degrading aircraft efficiency, clearly distinguished from operational factors like weather or navigation. In addition, AVIATAR Fuel Analytics can identify the effects of aircraft modifications on fuel consumption. Based on these insights, Etihad can then perform the needed measures to keep their fleet flying efficiently. This helps the airline twofold, by saving fuel and by reducing emissions.

The AVIATAR Condition Monitoring solution will moreover allow Etihad a real-time overview on the current status of all its aircraft and their components – on the ground as well as in flight. This will enable the Etihad maintenance department to proactively manage the condition of their Boeing and Airbus fleets by combining fault messages, parameters, flight information and maintenance information on one screen.

In addition, AVIATAR's automated Line Maintenance Planning app will allow Etihad to improve productivity even further by maximizing aircraft availability and reducing manual planning efforts at the same time. By integrating data from different IT systems, this algorithm-based solution adapts plans for each maintenance location and across Etihad's fleet instantaneously. Any change in the flight schedule or maintenance requirements results in an updated maintenance plan that supports decision-making and makes potential planning conflicts transparent, thus allowing the airline to focus on issues where more specific know-how is required. The updated plan is then directly transferred to Etihad`s maintenance information system.

"For Etihad, better data and better insights into data means that better decisions can be made every single day", said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer of Etihad Aviation Group. "Therefore, Etihad is constantly looking for partners who can provide ever-insightful perspectives using operational data. In working with Lufthansa Technik, Etihad will improve the efficiency of its operation, reduce fuel burn, reduce CO2 emissions, and reduce maintenance effort – all while maintaining the highest levels of safety performance and onboard product that Etihad is known for."

"Digitalization has become one of the strongest drivers for the aviation industry, and MRO is no exception to that. Thus, it is paramount for us to highlight the benefits that a smart digital tool suite such as AVIATAR can leverage for airlines around the globe," explained Tim Butzmann, Lufthansa Technik's Senior Director Sales Middle East and Africa. "The more delighted we are now to have convinced a renowned carrier like Etihad to be one of the first airlines in the Middle East joining us on the digital MRO playing field."

About Etihad Airways:
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, was formed in 2003 and quickly went on to become one of the world's leading airlines. Etihad flies to destinations across the world from its hub in Abu Dhabi with a young and environmentally friendly fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft. In recent years, the organisation has received numerous awards for its superior service and products, cargo offering, loyalty programme, aviation training and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) service.

Royal Jordanian, the national airline of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Lufthansa Technik AG have signed an agreement regarding comprehensive component maintenance for the airline´s entire Airbus A320 family fleet. Over a period of five years, Lufthansa Technik will provide its Total Component Support (TCS) including spares support, parts pooling and homebase support services for a total of five A319s, six A320s and two A321s.

In line with TCS, Lufthansa Technik's experts will take care of all aspects of supplying Royal Jordanian's fleet with components, from initial provisioning studies and home base allocation at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport to repair and overhaul, troubleshooting, documentation and engineering services. This comprehensive spectrum of services will ensure Royal Jordanian highest aircraft availability while avoiding a big capital investment for their own dedicated spare-parts inventory. As a customized service package, TCS is exactly tailored to the airline's specific requirements.

Royal Jordanian Vice Chairman and CEO Samer Majali said: "Lufthansa Technik and Royal Jordanian have been partners over the past few years, and we are pleased to build on this partnership for the coming five years. We trust that their efficient and timely component support will serve our keenness to maintain our fleet at its best performance."

„Royal Jordanian is one of our longterm partners in the Middle East, the prouder I am to extend this outstanding cooperation well into the future," said Kai-Stefan Röpke, Vice President Corporate Sales Europe, Middle East and Africa at Lufthansa Technik. "We are committed to ensuring our valued customer best-in-class aircraft availability and will moreover combine it with the outstanding service levels our component services are known for."

The new TCS contract builds on a previous agreement in which Lufthansa Technik provided component MRO for Royal Jordanian since 2017. In 2019, the two partners also extended their collaboration to components of the CFM56 turbofan engine. Royal Jordanian's A320 family fleet also relies on Lufthansa Technik for overhauls of its landing gears.

About Royal Jordanian:
Being a leading carrier in the region, the vision of Royal Jordanian (RJ) is to be the Airline of Choice connecting Jordan and the Levant with the world. Back in 1963, RJ was established as the national air carrier of Jordan. From its hub at Queen Alia International Airport, RJ runs its fleet to reach worldwide destinations providing an extensive travel network for its guests via Amman to Europe, the US and Canada, and North Africa. Through its 13 international airline partners in the oneworld alliance, RJ offers a network of over 1,000 airports in 170 countries.

Kuwait Airways has recently signed a contract with Lufthansa Technik AG regarding comprehensive base maintenance layovers for Airbus A330ceo aircraft. The agreement covers a total of four six-years checks for Airbus A330-200s, the first two of which have already been successfully completed at Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) in Manila.

The first and second of Kuwait Airways' aircraft arrived at LTP in October and could already be handed back to the customer on-time and on-budget. With the third A330 being serviced in Manila right now, the fourth aircraft will follow directly behind and is set to complete the layover sequence at the beginning of December. Six-years checks – the first in the life of Kuwait Airways' comparably young A330 fleet – usually comprise comprehensive structural and mechanical inspections.

"We at Kuwait Airways take pride in our adherence to all aspects of safety for our aircraft, on the ground and on board. Safety remains fundamental in all our operations and services and we are committed to constantly maintaining and improving the standards of safety at all levels," stated Captain Eisa Al-Haddad, Kuwait Airways Chief Operations Officer. "Kuwait Airways' dedicated and skilled staff ensure that safety is maintained in all operations and services, and this commitment has enabled the company to receive several awards, certifications, and recognition. The comprehensive maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) works carried out at LTP in Manila further ensure the safety and airworthiness of Kuwait Airways' aircraft for all its operations and services. For the first heavy checks of our A330s we were seeking a partner that not only has an outstanding reputation, but also the flexibility to overhaul our aircraft in an almost nose-to-tail sequence. Lufthansa Technik and its subsidiary in the Philippines are moreover reknown for their engineering expertise and highly-competitive turnaround times, that convinced us even more that we have put our valuable assets in the right hands."

"We are honoured to welcome back Kuwait Airways in our customer base and grateful for the trust they demonstrate by assigning comprehensive services for their A330s to us," stated Tim Butzmann, Senior Director Sales Middle East and Africa at Lufthansa Technik. "Our experts in Manila will overhaul Kuwait Airways' A330s with the same thoroughness and precision they invest in every aircraft to maintain the full value of this relatively young fleet. In doing so, we are proud to justify the customer's trust with outstanding reliability and service."

Over the last decades, Lufthansa Technik has already had various business relationships with Kuwait Airways, with services for both commercial and VIP aircraft. For LTP, however, the recent contract marks the first opportunity to welcome Kuwait Airways aircraft on its premises. In Lufthansa Technik's global network, LTP is the competence center for widebody base maintenance in East Asia, offering overhauls for almost any Airbus aircraft up to the A380 and also for selected Boeing types.

About Kuwait Airways:
Kuwait Airways (KAC) established in March 1954 is the National Carrier of the State of Kuwait, and one of the longest serving official airlines operating from the Arabian Gulf region. It was initially established as a private company named then as the Kuwait National Airways Company Ltd. Kuwait Airways joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 1963 and in 1965 became a founding member of the Arab Air Carriers' Organization (AACO). The Carrier operates its regular services to 47 international destinations, covering the Far East, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, Western Europe, and North America. Kuwait Airways' current Board of Directors is headed by Captain Ali Mohammad Al-Dukhan as Chairman and Mr. Maen Razouqi as Chief Executive Officer.