The big stuff
The world civil turbine engine aircraft fleet LHT big composites in Hamburg
stands at about 77,000 which fly about 77
million hours a year. About half the fleet is With the help of a significantly expanded workshop facility and a new auto-
in North America (some 37,000 aircraft). clave oven, Lufthansa Technik AG in Hamburg can now perform repairs on
Europe has about 16,800 and Asia Pacific ever-larger aircraft components made of composite materials. The new auto-
has about 10,000. clave has an interior diameter of five meters. This means that it is now possible
The MRO business on these aircraft to cure fairings from even the largest jet engines as well as large flap systems
is divided into four segments – airframe from aircraft wings and radomes after these components have been repaired.
maintenance, engine overhaul, component As a result, Lufthansa Technik will be able to offer technical services in
MRO and line maintenance. Yearly spending Germany for composite components for the largest and most modern
in total is about $50 billion, with the US aircraft types. A newly-equipped logistics center and streamlined production
accounting for some $19.4 billion. Taking processes enable the approximately
into account general services which overhaul 250 employees of Airframe Related Components (ARC) in Hamburg to
shops spend money on, this MRO business complete demanding repairs to these high-tech components even faster.
is worth about $80 billion a year. Nearly 50% With facilities in Hamburg as well as in Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA) and
of this happens in the US ($39 billion). Shenzhen (China), Lufthansa Technik is one of the world’s leading providers
North America is an exporter of of ARC repairs. In addition to repairs and maintenance at these three sites,
maintenance services with a positive Lufthansa Technik offers its customers a large spare parts pool and mobile
balance of some $2.4 billion a year. repair services worldwide. Aircraft components made of composite material
However, in heavy airframe maintenance, are in ever greater demand owing to qualities such as strength, low weight,
it is a slight importer but has a $1.4 billion and resistance to corrosion.
trade surplus in engine overhaul and a $1.2
billion surplus in component maintenance.
Cessna on the environment grow to meet rising demand for
Employee numbers transportation around the world,”
About 480, 000 people work in the The natural growth of the world’s Pelton said. “We must pursue
business in over 4,800 companies general aviation industry may be policies and practices that balance
around the globe (from FAA data). stifled if industry and government progress and technology with
Some 80% of the companies are small fail to collaborate on environmental environmental sensitivity.”
or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). innovation; or arrive at parochial In the US, all of aviation accounts
There are about 290,000 technicians solutions that ignore the global for only 2% CO2 emissions caused
around the world and some 24% are interoperability of the world’s trans- by burning fossil fuels, yet some
FAA certified. portation systems, according to seek to put an undue burden
In the US there are nearly 4,200 Cessna Aircraft Company chairman, on it through unreasonable
firms with more than 200,000 president and CEO Jack J. Pelton. environmental regulation, Pelton
employees in total. About 85% of A key to reducing the said. He also said over the past four
firms are SMEs and account for 21% environmental impact of aircraft decades, aviation has improved
of employment. There are some is good maintenance, such aircraft fuel efficiency by more than
145,000 technicians in the US, about as compressor washes, and 70% at the same time passenger
half of which are FAA certified. re-engining older types. Cessna’s and cargo traffic was increasing
The aviation maintenance business current types are extremely more than six fold, making aviation
has been hard-hit by the world environmentally friendly. an extremely greenhouse gas-
economic crisis, but now the recovery Pelton made his remarks at Les efficient economic driver.
seems to be underway as exemplified Respirations annual international During the same period, Pelton
by some of the latest news stories environmental congress held this said, jet engine fuel efficiency
included here. We’ve tried to take year in Enghien-les-Bains just improved by 70% without government
a cross-section, both geographically outside Paris. The event brings carbon emission standards, while
and by aircraft size, in the stories together speakers, scientists, federal emission standards for the
we’ve covered. doctors and government leaders auto industry enacted during the
There’s no doubt that operators to discuss air and water quality same period produced only about
have been deferring maintenance, issues with topics including 15% improvement.
where allowed, due to the tough climate change, renewable energy, “It’s important to note these
economic times. With the recovery, emissions trading and more. improvements are a result of
all that backlogged maintenance “Aviation has established an customer demand and market
will need to be performed. Those outstanding track record in reducing forces, not regulation,” Pelton said.
companies offering it should do well. its environmental impact as we
40 Aviation Maintenance |
avmain-mag.com | December 2009/January 2010
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