Lufthansa Technik: Complete Support and Training for Nigeria's Arik Air
Lufthansa Technik AG and Nigeria's Arik Air, the largest airline in western Africa, are expanding their partnership in the technical care of the airline's fleet. The cooperation between the two companies, which has existed since the airline began operations in 2006, has now been expanded as part of a Total Operational Management (TOM) contract and extended by six years.
In addition to component support and maintenance for the airline's current medium-haul fleet of 13 Boeing 737 NGs and four Bombardier CRJ900s, Lufthansa Technik will now take on technical management and carry out all planned C-checks during the next six years at one of its sites. This scope of service applies not just to Arik Air's existing Boeing fleet, but also to eight Boeing 737 NGs that have been ordered. As part of the TOM contract, a fleet manager from Lufthansa Technik will coordinate the two companies' technical cooperation from Arik Air's headquarters in Lagos.
Moreover, Lufthansa Technik will support the airline - one of its most important African customers - by providing training and qualification measures for the airline's own mechanics, starting with courses for line maintenance qualification on site in Nigeria. This educational partnership will be extended to other fields over the next few years at the discretion of the partners. Lufthansa Technik will also provide consulting to Arik Air in support of the establishment of a wheel workshop in Lagos.
"By this extended and expanded six year contract, we signal to both our travelling customers and the aviation community at large our resolute determination to continue underpinning our operations with world-leading serviceability protocols available only through a select cadre of maintenance providers. Lufthansa Technik AG enjoys a place of prominence within this distinguished group and, as such, Arik Air is proud to continue building upon our successful partnership", said Dr. Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Group CEO and President at Arik Air.
"We are proud to have been a partner of Arik Air for as long as the airline has existed, and we're already looking forward to the next chapter in this proven cooperation," said Walter Heerdt, Senior Vice President Marketing & Sales at Lufthansa Technik.
Arik Air was founded in 2004 and is headquartered at Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria. The airline serves 28 destinations in western Africa and operates three long-haul flights to London, Johannesburg and New York.
Lufthansa Technik:
The Lufthansa Technik Group, with more than 30 subsidiaries and associates and over 26,000 employees worldwide, is one of the leading manufacturer-independent providers of technical services for the aviation industry. Its portfolio encompasses the entire spectrum of services for commercial aircraft: maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification and conversion, engines and components.
