After reaffirming its commitment to flying Airbus A380 aircraft earlier this year, British Airways has extended its agreement with Lufthansa Technik’s Philippines operation to undertake base maintenance service on its superjumbo fleet for a further five years.
The new agreement will run from August 2022 and maintenance work on the A380s will be carried out by Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ facility in Manila.
British Airways operates a fleet of 12 A380 aircraft, having taken its first A380 in 2012. All of these will be serviced by LHT Philippines, with the extension also including 12-year heavy checks. Maintenance will be managed via Lufthansa Technik’s Aviatar platform, its digital operations suite to track, coordinate and report on the checks.
Apart from British Airways A380s, LHT Philippines has also serviced the aircraft for operators including Lufthansa, Qantas, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. The company, a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and Philippine aviation services provider MacroAsia, added a third hangar back in 2017 to accommodate larger aircraft types like the A380.
The UK flag carrier has bucked the trend in Europe by not accelerating retirements of its A380s over the past 12 months. Counterparts Air France and Lufthansa both accelerated plans for the superjumbo to exit their fleets in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
British Airways plans to re-introduce the A380 into its active fleet, having placed the aircraft into storage at the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic last year. “This agreement ensures that our A380 aircraft have secured slots for the foreseeable future,” says Dave Exon, technical director at British Airways.
Despite the retirements carried out by its airline affiliate, Elmar Lutter, CEO of Lufthansa Technik Philippines, says the MRO remains committed to servicing the A380 aircraft for the forseeable future.
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