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Lufthansa Technik has contracted additional engine shop visits from Russian carrier Rossiya Airlines. Until mid-2022, the company will overhaul four CFM56-5B engines at its engine shop in Hamburg, Germany. 

"Lufthansa Technik's offer for the supply of life-limited parts as well as its recommendations for work scope planning and extensive warranty conditions convinced us to entrust our German partner with the overhaul of our CFM56-5B-engines," said Sergey Starikov, official representative of Rossiya Airlines.  

"We're happy to continue our partnership with Rossiya Airlines with this new maintenance contract for its CFM56-5B engines. The tender process by Rossiya Airlines was highly competitive and challenging, and we're delighted to have met the high standards of our customer in this process," said Stanislav Mitin, Key Account Manager for Russia and CIS at Lufthansa Technik.  

Lufthansa Technik has been providing engine services to Rossiya Airlines since 2019, originally for the CF6-80 engine. Meanwhile, four engines of this type have been overhauled. 

EME Aero, the engine services joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG and MTU Aero Engines AG, has completed aviation authority certification process and obtained EASA 145 certification as a maintenance organization for another type of engine, Pratt & Whitney PW1500G series. Beyond that, EME Aero received the customer approval by aircraft operator Swiss and has just inducted the first PW1500G engine at the shop in Jasionka, Poland.

"We started our operation in December 2019 and performed an extremely ambitious ramp up for the PW1100G-JM with more than 50 engines inductions in 2020, on the way of becoming the largest and most modern GTF Engine shop in the world. On top of that we launched the next step – the preparation for PW1500G engines capability and the engine's induction targeted for mid-2021. Despite obstacles resulting from COVID-19 restrictions, our team along with the support from our shareholders as well as Pratt & Whitney, managed to stay right on track with the first induction and with our ramp according to plan," says Derrick Siebert, CEO and Managing Director of Business.

"The introduction of the PW1500G series at our shop marks a major milestone in the company's short history, since the technical requirements of this engine technology are demanding. PW1500G leads to more than 35 shop visits this and next year and extends EME Aero's capability. Despite of difficult pandemic situation and necessity to workremotely with special processes approvals, EME Aero has successfully completed the project and is going to strengthen the repair services within the Pratt & Whitey network. This results from the great collaboration of EME Aero team, the support of our shareholders and Pratt & Whitney trainers team," adds Robert Maślach COO, Managing Director of Operations.

EME Aero, from the moment the company was established, has been focused on implementing innovative and advanced solutions. The shop was given three years to implement high-tech assembly concept that would ensure top-class maintenance for GTF engines family. Having in mind the challenge of joining three GTF engines types in one shop, together with MTU's Munich team EME Aero is on a good way to implement the high- tech flow line system.

"This assembly system is a unique on its own offering high level of process commonality to the entire GTF family. This means that a PW1500G doesn't have to be put through an assembly system custom-built for that engine type, but can also be overhauled on the same assembly line with PW1100G-JM. So we are ready for the flexible and effective approach and performance," explains Derrick Siebert.

EME Aero flow line concept is not typical stationary system such as those used in MRO operations. Instead, the engines are fitted to freely moving, floor-based carriers that can be pulled in and out of the production line without disturbing the overall flow. At the heart of the concept are two modern and technically brilliant systems: the mobile transport and overhaul system (MTOS) that handles the complete teardown of engines along the flow line, while partial disassembly is performed in the stationary docks of the fixed overhaul system (FOS). Thanks to this solution, our assembly line can be fully adapted to different GTF family engines supporting high volume demand for upcoming years. – adds Robert Maślach.

EME Aero stands by its strategic goals of 450 service visits per year and employment of 1,000 people by 2026.
 

With the new MRO Management solution on AVIATAR, Lufthansa Technik is further expanding its customer-centric digital platform. Customers can now use one solution for asset sourcing, monitoring of their MRO events and accounting functionalities. Accessibility independent of location and time, as well as the visualization of all details in a structured and standardized form, enable users to take immediate action when needed. 

Sourcing of assets for airline technical operations 

The "Sourcing" application provides transparent availability of all materials – currently including LRUs (Line Replaceable Units),  ARCs (Aircraft Related Components), C&E (Consumables & Expendables) & tools. Customers can search for part numbers or descriptions, find alternative materials and filter for certificates, condition or location. Quotations can be requested directly through the application. 

Monitoring of MRO events 

The "Monitoring" function gives an up-to-date overview of all planned, current and completed MRO events.  Based on the details provided in a structured and standardized way, critical issues can be spotted immediately and actions can be taken via streamlined communication and fully digital approval processes. The function is currently available for base maintenance, engine and landing gear events – including the possibility for live video conference calls from the workshop.   

Accounting for MRO services 

Through "Accounting" users can always have an up-to-date overview of all invoices, due dates and disputes. 

"Our newly introduced MRO Management solution transforms the collaboration of airlines and MRO providers," said Philip Mende, Vice President Digital Fleet Services. "By digitalizing the entire process in one single place, we simplify and streamline the vast amount of information and communication flowing back and forth between an MRO and the aircraft operator. We are looking forward to integrate even more features in the coming months together with Lufthansa Technik business units and other MRO providers." 

Launched in 2017, AVIATAR is the independent platform for digital products and services developed by Lufthansa Technik. The platform offers its users 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. 

The Supervisory Board of the company has appointed Dr. William Willms (54) as a member of the Executive Board with effect from September 1 for three years. Dr. Willms will take over the Finance department. He thus completes the Lufthansa Technik Executive Board, which already includes the CEO Dr. Johannes Bussmann and Soeren Stark as COO of the company. 

"William Willms has successfully held various responsible positions in the Lufthansa Group over the past 13 years. Among other things, at Lufthansa Technik and most recently as Head of Group Strategy in Frankfurt, he has contributed his skills and experience. He has the right profile for the finance department on the Executive Board of Lufthansa Technik and is an excellent addition to the company's management body," said the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lufthansa Technik and Member of the Executive Committee of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Dr. Detlef Kayser.

After working in the financial sector, the doctor of law joined the Lufthansa group in 2008, initially as Director Finance at Lufthansa Technik. In 2013, he took over as Head of Finance. In 2016, he moved to Lufthansa AG as Vice President Corporate Strategy. In 2019, he became Senior Vice President Corporate Strategy, and since May 2020, he has been Executive Vice President Group & Airline Strategy, Business Development, Organizational Development, M&A and Special Projects. At the same time, he became Member of the Group Executive Committee of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

The tasks of the Labour Director at Lufthansa Technik remain the responsibility of the Chairman of the Executive Board until further notice.

Honeywell and Lufthansa Technik have signed an extensive collaboration agreement for the maintenance of Honeywell components installed on CFM International's LEAP series engines which are used in Airbus A320neo Family, Boeing 737 MAX and COMAC C919 aircraft.

Under this agreement, Lufthansa Technik will develop Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities for the aforementioned Honeywell components. By this, the company will be able to offer improved and OEM-certified aftermarket services, with increased component reliability and reduced operator life-cycle costs.

"We are excited to further extend our relationship with Honeywell," said Dr. Georg Fanta, Vice President of Aircraft Component Services at Lufthansa Technik. "Our customers will benefit greatly from this new agreement as we combine Lufthansa Technik's maintenance, repair, overhaul and engineering capabilities with the design knowledge of Honeywell. Just like with the CFM56 engines, Lufthansa Technik will  be able to repair Honeywell LEAP line replaceable units in-house and offer world-class flight-hour based component support services, including tailored asset management solutions."

Lufthansa Technik and Honeywell have enjoyed a long standing, collaborative relationship including Lufthansa Technik as the licensed component repair center and exclusive global asset provider for all Honeywell products on Airbus A350 aircraft. Moreover, Lufthansa Technik  brings a new level of predictive health management expertise to airlines, with the inclusion of Honeywell Forge analytics on Lufthansa Technik's AVIATAR platform.

Lufthansa Technik can now offer a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) in China for an inflight connectivity solution on Airbus A320 family aircraft. Chinese operators can thus make easy use of this satellite communication system with high-speed broadband Ka-band connectivity enabled in close cooperation with Honeywell. The EASA STC was validated by the Chinese authority CAAC (Civil Aviation Authority of China), based on the China-EU Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) between the People's Republic of China and the European Union. The EASA STC for internet on board has already been executed and installed on more than 300 A320 ceo and neo aircraft so far.

The EASA STC was validated by CAAC based on the Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP) for Airworthiness and Environmental Certification, a specification of BASA EU-China: It allows for initial and sub-sequent validations in a defined process, and therefore predictable time frame. Moreover, it also ensures further validation mechanisms, additionally accelerating the execution of small adjustments for new customers. "This represents a milestone in the cooperation of CAAC and EASA in the field of commercial aviation connectivity, made possible by the China-EU Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA). Based on a very light design and more than 300 installations, we can support very fast upgrades in less than 4 days and high maintenance inspection intervals; together we are offering very low and competitive operational costs to the airlines," said Lukas Bucher, Head of Connectivity Solutions at Lufthansa Technik.

 "Chinese operators can tremendously benefit from our profound experience for inflight connectivity modifications gained with European aircraft. Thus, we guarantee smooth processes as well as MRO support with reliable time frames," said Xin Wang, Lufthansa Technik's Chief Representative in China.

Jia Zhijun, Senior Director of Honeywell Connected Aerospace Asia Pacific said: "The MCS-8420 JetWave Satellite Communications System is designed to connect to China's Ka-band satellite network. This satellite communications installation enables high-speed cabin Wi-Fi for a better passenger connectivity experience. Additionally, it provides pilots with a better internet connection to support flight planning and management, which will help reduce fleet fuel costs, avoid aircraft delays and further enhance airlines' competitiveness and profitability in the global aviation market. Honeywell is currently advancing the certificate of MCS-8420 JetWave Satellite Communication Systems applicable to other aircraft models."

The modular radome installation on the aircraft fuselage is ARINC 791 standard compliant and was optimized by Lufthansa Technik to minimize operational and maintenance costs for the airline. The installation is engineered, fully qualified and certified to meet the harsh conditions of continuous commercial airline operation. This includes, for example, optimized aircraft inspection cycles which are aligned with airframe specific base maintenance programs.

Close co-operation with Honeywell

Based on the successful rollout of the JetWave Generation 1 hardware, Honeywell and Lufthansa Technik worked hand in hand to generate a solution for the Chinese market. The joint package includes China-specific adaptions of the Honeywell hardware and Lufthansa Technik's aircraft integration design and certification suitable for the Chinese market. Various software platforms are available, including the option for airline proprietary solutions so that the respective airline itself has full control. Aircraft specific material kits are available, including a large antenna radome. If needed, Lufthansa Technik offers installation services jointly with local Chinese partners.

British Airways has extended its contract with Lufthansa Technik for Base Maintenance Services for its Airbus A380 aircraft. The contract will run from August 2022 for more than five years and includes services for the airline's 12 A380s to be performed at the Lufthansa Technik Philippines facility in Manila.

During the past five years, British Airways and Lufthansa Technik have worked closely together on the A380 Base Maintenance services and with both parties aligned to the same high standards of safety and professionalism. The organisational skills, experience, technical knowledge and flexibility of both companies have led to the extension of this contract, which includes 12 year-checks for A380 aircraft.

Dave Exon, Technical Director of British Airways, says: "Safety is at the heart of everything we do and we're delighted to extend our existing A380 base maintenance contract with Lufthansa Technik as a result of the continued excellent standard of service provided by Lufthansa Technik Philippines. This agreement ensures that our A380 aircraft have secured slots for the foreseeable future."

Elmar Lutter, CEO of Lufthansa Technik Philippines, says: "We are proud to continue our good relationship with British Airways by extending the Airbus A380 base maintenance contract for another five years. At Lufthansa Technik Philippines, we remain committed to servicing the A380 aircraft in the forseeable future."

Lufthansa Technik Philippines will manage the aircraft via AVIATAR, Lufthansa Technik's digital operations suite in order to track, coordinate and report on the checks. The digital platform provides real time multi-user information access on the check status, including open items, next steps, completion level and many other functions, ensuring an additional layer of reassurance around the safety of all operations.

Despite the aviation crisis and structural changes in the company, Lufthansa Technik AG continues to rely on the training of highly qualified workers, even in challenging times – and has done so for more than six decades. Especially now, the company wants to attract young employees who want to work in a fascinating and demanding industry.

"We see training as a long-term instrument, one that needs continuity," says Barbara Körner, Head of Training and Dual-study Students at Lufthansa Technik. "Only then can all the interfaces involved, such as trainers, specialized departments, operational deployment areas and vocational schools, provide optimal training quality. Against this background, Lufthansa Technik made a conscious decision to maintain its training activities. Only the number of places has been adjusted in response to the crisis."

This month 109 young people will start their apprenticeships in Hamburg, 16 in Frankfurt and one at the Munich location. 109 of the new apprenticeships are directly attributable to Lufthansa Technik AG, the rest to Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services and LEOS (see list below). This means that there is now a total of about 650 young people in training or in a dual course of study at the Lufthansa Technik Group in Germany.

As in the previous year, the proportion of women is a good fourteen percent. Lufthansa Technik will continue to expand its activities in order to inform female students in a targeted manner about the many possibilities in pursuing technical professions. Originally, a higher number of new trainees was planned for this year. However, the massive downturn in global aviation caused by COVID-19 and the reduced workload in many parts of the company made it necessary to adjust requirements accordingly. 

 

Lufthansa Technik AG, Hamburg (training starts August 2), total of 101:

• 23 electronics technicians for devices and systems
• 24 aircraft mechanics with specialties in repair technology
• 17 tool mechanics
• 14 aircraft mechanics with a specialty in engine technology
• 12 aircraft mechanics with specialties in manufacturing technology
• 6 aircraft electronics specialists
• 5 surface coating technicians

 

Lufthansa Technik AG, Frankfurt (training starts August 16), total of 8:

• 8 aircraft mechanic with a specialty in engine technology

 

Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services, Hamburg (training starts August 2), total of 8:

• 6 trainees in warehouse logistics
• 2 specialists for forwarding and logistics services

 

Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services, Frankfurt (training starts August 16), total of 7:

• 6 trainees in warehouse logistics
• 1 specialist for forwarding and logistics services

 

LEOS (Lufthansa Engineering and Operational Services), Frankfurt (training starts August 16):

• 1 specialist in mechatronics engineering

 

LEOS (Lufthansa Engineering and Operational Services), Munich (training starts August 16):

• 1 specialist in mechatronics engineering

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."