Airlines

Lufthansa awarded Emirates A380 landing gear and base maintenance contracts

Emirates and Lufthansa Technik AG have recently signed two major contracts regarding comprehensive Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) services for Airbus A380 long-range aircraft, of which the Dubai-based airline is by far the world’s largest operator. In line with one of the new agreements, Lufthansa Technik will overhaul the main landing gears of Emirates’ double-deck flagships. Additionally, the MRO company will provide the airline with highly flexible extra capacity for A380 base maintenance such as C-checks. The latter agreement marks the first-ever outsourcing of heavy checks from Emirates’ comprehensive in-house A380 MRO capacities to an external provider.

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Over the next 13 years, the specialized workshop in the United Kingdom will overhaul main landing gear shipsets for some of Emirates’ superjumbos and in the process restore them to “as-good-as-new” condition before delivering them back to the customer’s MRO facilities for re-installation. The first of these landing gear overhauls is scheduled to begin in August.

The additional capacity for A380 base maintenance services will be provided by Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) in Manila, the Lufthansa Technik Group’s competence center for heavy checks on the world’s largest passenger aircraft. The first Emirates A380 has arrived at LTP already at the end of January. To cope with the significantly increased demand for MRO services on the largest commercial airliner type, LTP has recently invested into additional A380 overhaul capacities. These are planned to go online in the second half of 2023 and will initially host additional checks for Emirates.

While the A380 base maintenance services are an entirely new field of cooperation for Emirates and Lufthansa Technik, the MRO provider and the airline already enjoy a long-standing business relationship in other technical segments.

Airlines

PIA Reinstates Manchester and Paris Routes After EU Ban Lift

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced plans to resume flights to Europe starting in January, beginning with Paris as its first destination.

The decision follows the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) removal of a long-standing ban on the airline. PIA’s inaugural flight to Paris is scheduled for January 10, with bookings opening on December 9.

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In an official statement, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan confirmed that the first flight schedule has been approved, marking a significant milestone in the airline’s recovery efforts. The EU ban had previously cost PIA approximately Rs40 billion ($144 million) annually in lost revenue, compounding its financial struggles.

With European operations restarting, PIA is now setting its sights on the United Kingdom. The airline plans to seek approval from the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to resume flights to major British cities such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham.

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These routes are anticipated to see high demand once necessary clearances are obtained. The lifting of the EU ban represents a key achievement for PIA as it works to rebuild its international network and regain its standing in the global aviation market.

By restoring flights to Europe and aiming for UK destinations, PIA is taking critical steps toward recovering lost ground and improving its financial outlook.