China Airlines, Lufthansa Technik Expand Cooperation

‍SINGAPORE — China Airlines (CI) and Lufthansa Technik have strengthened their partnership in the field of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), with a focus on long-term commitment.

At the MRO Asia-Pacific trade fair in Singapore, companies signed a new contract to secure the spare parts supply for China Airlines’ Boeing 777 and future Boeing 787 fleets for the next 20 years.

New Contract

The new contract complements an existing TCS agreement for the airline's Airbus A330 and A350 aircraft. 

The new agreement covers ten Boeing 777-300ER and ten 777F aircraft, as well as 18 Boeing 787-9 and six 787-10 aircraft joining the fleet in the near future.

Through the agreement, China Airlines has direct access to Lufthansa Technik’s global spare parts pool, enabling the Taiwan-based carrier to increase the availability of aircraft components and to leverage significant cost advantages.

Additionally, the agreement includes Aircraft On Ground (AOG) support and the establishment of a spare parts pool located at China Airlines' headquarters in Taipei.

TCS for Boeing "triple seven” fleet commenced in August. The agreement for Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s fleet will take effect as they join CI’s fleet in the future, supporting fleet expansion.   

Supporting Boeing 787 Entry into Service for China Airlines

Lufthansa Technik aims to support China Airlines’ fleet extension with its extensive expertise in this modern aircraft type, ensuring a smooth entry into service. Currently, the LH Technik supports around 200 Dreamliners worldwide.

“Lufthansa Technik has been a reliable partner in the past decades, hence we are delighted to write this next chapter in our joint success story. Based on the very good experience we had with the company’s component support for our Airbus A330s and A350s, we are more than happy to extend this cooperation onto our entire long-haul fleet now. Lufthansa Technik’s expertise with the 787 will moreover help us ensure a smooth entry-into-service of this new type,” said China Airlines’ representative.

Long-lasting Partnership

China Airlines and Lufthansa Technik have maintained a successful business relationship for over 20 years, collaborating on a wide range of services.

The scope of work has ranged from component support to various Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) services for the entire Airbus A350 fleet, as well as Aircraft Transition Services (ATS) for the carrier’s Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 fleets.

“In the aircraft components business, signing long-term agreements is not uncommon, but agreeing on a duration of 20 years still resembles something very special, and we regard this as an outstanding vote of confidence in our services. We are thus immensely grateful to China Airlines for having entrusted us with the important component support for their entire long-haul fleet, and we are looking forward to justifying this trust with best-in-class component services well into the 2040s,” said Dennis Kohr, Senior Vice President Corporate Sales Asia Pacific at Lufthansa Technik.