Lufthansa Technik AG has been selected by Vietnam Airlines to provide maintenance and overhauls for turboprop engines of the airline's ATR72-fleet. The three-year-contract encompasses the PW124 engine subtype powering the airline's seven ATR72-200s as well as the PW127 subtype to be used on up to 16 ATR72-500s.
In addition to the engine services, an existing contract regarding the maintenance and overhaul of Auxiliary Power Units (APU) has been extended. According to the renewed contract Lufthansa Technik will be in charge of the maintenance and overhauls of Hamilton Sundstrand APS3200 APUs used in Vietnam Airlines' fleet of Airbus A321s for another year until mid 2010.
The engine services will be carried out by Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey, the Group's experts for maintenance, repair and overhauls of turboprop and jet engines for regional aircraft. The APU overhauls will be provided by Lufthansa Technik's engine and APU shops in Hamburg.
"For the overhaul of our engines and APUs we were looking for a partner with state-of-the-art facilities", said Dr. Nguyen Sy Hung, Chairman of Management Board of Vietnam Airlines. "The quality and turnaround times offered in both the Hamburg APU shops and at AERO Alzey convinced us to sign with Lufthansa Technik again, one of our most reliable partners."
"Vietnam Airlines' decision for our technical support package is an efficient step which will provide them not only with additional savings and the highest reliability but also with shortest response times", said Mark Johnson, Chief Executive Officer at Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey.
The range of engine services offered by Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey extends from total engine support to custom repair and overhaul of engines, modules and individual parts; to engineering; to warranty servicing and repairs; to logistical and consulting services. The portfolio includes the PW100 series, PW150 and the CF34-3, -8 and -10.
The recently signed contract carries forward a long and successful business relationship between Vietnam Airlines and Lufthansa Technik Group. In the past both companies have already cooperated in numerous fields of maintenance, repair and overhaul, for example in engine services or aircraft component maintenance.
Vietnam Airlines:
Founded in 1956 as Vietnam Civil Aviation and established in 1993 as the national flag carrier under its current name, Vietnam Airlines currently operates a young fleet including ten Boeing 777-200s, four Airbus A330s, ten Airbus A320s, 15 A321s and ten ATR72. Furthermore, the airline has placed orders for 16 Boeing 787-8, ten Airbus A350-900XWBs, 41 additional Airbus A321s and 16 additional ATR72 regional turboprops. Vietnam Airlines is flying to 19 domestic cities throughout Vietnam and 23 international destinations.
Lufthansa Technik:
The Lufthansa Technik Group, with more than 30 subsidiaries and about 26,000 employees worldwide, is one of the leading manufacturer-independent providers of services for the aviation industry. In 2008, the Group's overall revenues stood at 3.7 billion euros. Lufthansa Technik is licensed internationally as a repair, production and development enterprise. The Group's portfolio encompasses the entire spectrum of services in the areas of maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification and conversion, engines and components.