Lufthansa Technik’s VIP and special-missions unit expects fleet rollovers in the Middle East and burgeoning business in Asia to keep its hangars in Hamburg, Germany, full at least until 2026.
“It’s a very positive time for the whole industry; business for 2023 and 2024 is increasing,” Lufthansa Technik v-p of sales Wieland Timm told AIN. “We have had very good recent years and our outlook through 2025 shows this continuing. Our main products—completions and maintenance—are in high demand.”
Lufthansa Technik’s slot-fill rate this year has reached nearly 100 percent, Timm said. “In 2024, we already are at around 70 percent on maintenance and close to 90 percent for completion," he added. "In 2025, we expect several requests for modification and maintenance on aging aircraft.”
The Middle East will see fleet rollovers in the next five to six years. Aging aircraft remain in service and need upgrades, especially for communications and in-flight entertainment systems that are more than 10 years old.
Timm said the Middle East ranks as the biggest widebody market. In May, Qatar’s Amiri Flight sent two widebody aircraft to the coronation in the UK—an Airbus A340 variant more than two decades old and a Boeing BBJ 747-8 now more than 10 years old.
“In the U.S., it’s only head of state,” Timm said. “Very few private individuals own widebodies. They normally fly narrowbody or business jets, as well as instances of special aircraft like medevac versions and so on. We have Middle Eastern customers who have aircraft [such as 747-300s and A340-200s] that have been regularly maintained and already refurbished several times. Maintenance and related areas are limited.”
Lufthansa Technik lays claim as one of the world’s biggest Boeing 747 outfitters, having done 28 to date. “The aircraft requires special expertise and repair capabilities; we are still number one because mother airline Lufthansa is still flying the 747-400 and the 747-8,” Timm said. “We have the capabilities, spare parts, and knowledge for easy and professional repair. This has led to many recent customer requests for widebody aircraft.”
While some of these aircraft are 20 to 30 years old, in recent years fleet replacement has not taken place.
“Today, everybody wants to do it as fast as possible,” Timm said. “As the 747 is out of production, many in the Middle East are focusing on the Airbus ACJ350 and the BBJ 777-9, the biggest aircraft available at the moment and a natural 747 replacement. It is still under construction—the first ones will be delivered in 2025. If the aircraft had entered service three years ago, fleet rollovers would already be underway; today, everybody’s waiting for the aircraft.”
Timm called the variant “the natural high-end aircraft of the future. Given our 777 focus, we expect many customers, especially in the Middle East, to order this aircraft," he said. "At the Dubai Airshow, demand for its outfitting will be huge. We want to display the finished product. We have some nice ideas about how to do this, due to the unique width of the fuselage. You can do a little more with the 777 due to that width than on the A350.”
Plans call for the first commercial 777-9 to enter service in 2025 and the first VIP versions will become available for completions in 2026 or 2027.
“We are right on time because developing a unique design for a special customer or government takes around one year,” Timm said. “The supplier industry takes up to 15 months to produce the required parts. We are on schedule, and that’s why we want to put it on show this year: 2024 preparation, 2025 engineering, and then the aircraft more or less enters service in 2026.”
Regarding international markets, requests from Asia have increased. “Asian countries are purchasing narrowbody aircraft, as is the Middle East market,” Timm said. “These are our most important markets today. Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, China, and others are very active in aircraft purchase.”