Virgin Blue Signs Landing Gear Contract With Lufthansa Technik

Virgin Blue, Australia's multi-award winning airline and Lufthansa Technik, the leading provider for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of airplanes, components and engines, signed a technical support contract for landing gear overhaul. Over the next eight years the landing gears of the 53 Boeing 737 Next-Generation (NG) airplanes will be sent to Hamburg for complete refurbishment. Lufthansa Technik will provide on-site assistance for the first exchange and offer two loan gears as part of the program.

"We are particularly pleased to start our new partnership with Lufthansa Technik, a supplier who is not only competitive on stand-alone products but commits itself to support Virgin Blue's high reliability and on-time performance," said Mike Hockin, General Manager Engineering, Virgin Blue Airlines. "Lufthansa Technik understands the needs of daily airline operations. This provides us with a vital link between the component work-shop and our cost-efficient aircraft maintenance management and this combination creates real value for the airline."

"We look forward to providing industry-leading MRO support for Virgin Blue's young and growing fleet," said Andreas Kehl, Director Sales South-East Asia and Australia at Lufthansa Technik. "We are not only proud to have jointly developed a complete solution but also optimistic about developing further opportunities with Virgin Blue and Australia's fast growing aviation market."

Lufthansa Technik's landing gear services division operates out of three locations: Hamburg, London and Sun Valley, California. While around 140 employees in Hamburg are specialized in the complete MRO portfolio for Airbus landing gears and the Boeing 737 NG, Bombardier CRJ and AVRO RJ, the 530 colleagues at Hawker Pacific in the UK and United States concentrate on the Boeing portfolio (incl. DC10, MD-11,-80,90) and certain Airbus types. In 2005 around 800 shipsets have been overhauled at the three locations.