AST® Nacelles & Composites

If the air duct of an engine is faulty there is no chance to get airborne again. Exactly that happened to an Airbus A330 of Air Serbia. Even more painful if you have a fully booked long-haul flight the next day and no spare aircraft are available. The lucky solution: Help of a Lufthansa Technik Airline Support Team® with experts for nacelles and composites! One night shift on-site and the plane was ready for service again the next day.

9:00 a.m. – AOG in Belgrade, things look bad for New York!

The inquiry reaches the Lufthansa Technik Airline Support Team^® in the morning: Air Serbia is suffering an AOG problem! A piece of sheet metal in an air duct of an Airbus A330 engine has become so bent that it is jutting out into the air flow. The aircraft, grounded in Belgrade, is urgently needed for a fully booked flight to New York (JFK). 230 passengers expect a punctual start the next morning.

10:00 a.m. – Material and tooling ready for transportation

The responsible AST^® manager for problems regarding Composite Structures prepares within hours the necessary materials and tooling. As the only scheduled flight to Belgrade is not until the next day the customer offers to organize an air transport for material, tooling and the repair team to save time.

11:08 a.m. – Another damage!

An additional damage report is coming in: Because the bent sheet had collided with two blocker doors in the thrust reverser, these also have to be replaced.

12:08 a.m. – Manpower!

One hour later, the engineering team provides confirmation of the extended workscope and the work order is in place. Two qualified mechanics show true spirit and spontaneously take on the task – and are ready to take-off to Belgrade within the next hour.

1:20 p.m. – Pack your bags!

The material is assembled, readied for customs clearance and presented for transport. Air Serbia sends the confirmation/service order.

4:00 p.m. – Logistics routines

Material and tools must pass through customs quickly – a routine job for our logistics experts!

7:40 p.m. – Narrow margin meets experience!

After customs clearance a specially chartered Cessna Citation Jet is ready to embark team and materials. The door of the business jet is just about large enough to allow the spare parts to fit through – no sweat for the team: They checked it before! The Cessna takes off from Hamburg Airport and lands in Belgrade at 10:30 p.m.

10:30 p.m. – Arrive, assemble, get started!

Thomas und Joerg, the mechanics from the AST^® team, start their repair job immediately upon arrival; the night is still young...

8:00 a.m. – Mission accomplished!

The job is finished - just in time! One hour later airworthiness is declared and at 10:30 a.m. the A330 takes off to New York, with 230 relaxed people on board.

The team of the Customer Support Center is your central contact point for your operational inquiries and AOG requests 24/7. We coordinate technicians, tooling and logistics support for your planned and unplanned repairs and set-up dedicated teams to help you best.