Qatar Airways yesterday signed two memoranda of understanding (MoU) with Lufthansa Technik that could ultimately be worth as much as $150 million to the Hamburg-based engineering specialist.
Under a Total Engine Support (TES) contract, Lufthansa Technik is to take on the maintenance and overhaul of the IAE V2500s that power the Middle Eastern carrier's 17 Airbus A320-family aircraft.
Contract
Services to be supplied for the Qatari V2500s - 34 installed engines plus four spare units - include overhaul and repair of engines, modules and individual parts, warranty servicing and repairs, and logistics and consulting services. Value of the work over the life of the contract is put at around $100 million.
For an estimated further $50 million, the German company will install the Rockwell Collins Tailwind 560 direct-broadcast satellite (DBS) inflight television system in Qatar's Airbus A330 fleet, integrate it with the existing Panasonic 3000i audio/video-on-demand inflight entertainment system on the aircraft, and support its introduction into service.
The contract associated with the television MoU is at an advanced stage of negotiation and is likely to be signed next month.
It covers retrofits on 15 A330s already in Qatar Airways service; the remaining 15 aircraft still to be delivered will be line-fitted with the installation engineered by Lufthansa Technik.
Contract signature will be the green light for five months of engineering design and fabrication work, followed by a 25-day campaign to obtain an FAA supplemental type certificate for the installation.
The in-service A330s will then be retrofitted in Hamburg at a rate of one every 10 days.
Qatar will be among the first international long-haul carriers to offer passengers live inflight television; Singapore Airlines is about to introduce a Connexion by Boeing-based service.
Extensive
Lufthansa Technik won the television project on the back of its extensive experience of installing a number of similar systems over the past few years.
These include a custom-built live television system for a VIP Airbus A340, the engineering, installation and certification of Connexion by Boeing Ku-band satellite broadband equipment on Lufthansa's long-range fleet, and subsequent Connexion installations for SAS.
Source: Flight Daily News
