Qantas Airways has awarded Lufthansa Technik AG an extensive contract for the technical support of the GE and CFM 56-7 engines in its Boeing 737, 767, 747 and Airbus A330 fleets. The corresponding agreement was signed in Sydney. In the course of the 10-year contract Lufthansa Technik will also purchase a 50-percent stake in the Qantas engine overhaul company, Jet Turbine Services (JTS) of Melbourne. Some 600 engines will be processed at the repair shop in Australia over the next ten years. The stripping down, assembly work and testing for the engine types CF6-80, CFM56-7 and CFM56-3 will be carried out at JTS in Melbourne. The repair of engine parts and components will mostly be carried out at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg.
Lufthansa Technik and Qantas will hold equal shares in the joint venture, Jet Turbine Services Pty Limited, which currently has a workforce of 140. Both partners will invest in the modernisation and expansion of the company. In future, besides the engine overhaul services which it has hitherto provided, the company will also offer other products and technical services like flap tracks and carriages overhaul of Qantas wide body aircraft. The partners in the joint venture are also discussing an extension of their product range that will take in new customers from the South-East Asia region.
