Boeing has awarded Lufthansa Technik a contract for sustainment services within its support of Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) future fleet of four P-8A aircraft that will leverage commercial capabilities and aim to improve readiness rates.
The contract is for provision of Lufthansa Technik’s Total Component Support (TCS), a comprehensive component services program for the 737 covering more than four hundred commercial common parts included in the configuration of the P-8A, a military derivative of the airliner. Boeing believes leveraging the 737 commercial market in support of P-8A international customers will allow smaller fleets easier access to necessary global supply chain inventory from more than four thousand 737 aircraft operating today.
According to Boeing, the TCS program will allow RNZAF to reduce investment in commercial common parts and improve aircraft readiness through access to the company’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) global supply chain.
Boeing and Lufthansa Technik signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2021 to support Germany’s P-8A Poseidon fleet. The MOU expanded to a three-party agreement with ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH in 2022. In July 2018, the government of New Zealand announced the purchase of four P-8A Poseidon aircraft to replace its aging fleet of P-3K2 maritime patrol aircraft. The first P-8A to New Zealand was delivered December 2022, with three remaining aircraft to be delivered in 2023.
Deployed around the world with 155 aircraft delivered or in service, and more than 450,000 collective, mishap free flight hours, the P-8A is seen as vital in global anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and search-and-rescue operations.
Torbjorn (Turbo) Sjogren, Boeing Vice President and General Manager, Government Services said: “Our collaboration with Lufthansa Technik is a strong example of how industry can work together to solve customer challenges and maintain high readiness rates. Our goal is to expand service offerings from a strategic German industry partner for additional P-8A customers to benefit.”
Michael Haidinger, president of Boeing in Germany, commented: “Lufthansa Technik is a longstanding partner with a long history of supporting Boeing aircraft around the world. This new contract is a clear demonstration of our commitment to German industry and how we partner across the Atlantic and globally, shaping meaningful partnerships that ensure continued economic and industrial growth in Germany.”
Michael von Puttkamer, Vice President special aircraft services at Lufthansa Technik, added: “As a renowned expert for Special Mission aircraft and a leading maintenance, repair and overhaul provider with decades of experience in servicing commercial Boeing 737s, we are delighted to soon start servicing New Zealand’s Poseidon fleet. The strong partnership with Boeing enables us to offer the best possible service level over the entire life cycle of the aircraft. We are very much looking forward to further cooperation with our partners in Germany and beyond.”
