by Joy Finnegan, Editor in Chief, Aviation Maintenance Magazine
What is it about transitions that I find so fascinating? I’m not sure. Maybe it is the unpredictability. Maybe it is the surprising new directions. Maybe it is the possibility of a crash and burn. Perhaps it is simply that life is full of them. Whatever it is, I am always intrigued by them.
In this issue we take a look at some major transitions taking place in our industry. On the cover you will have seen August Henningsen and Dr. Johannes Bussman. Henningsen ran Lufthansa Technik for the last 14 years and retired on April 1, 2015. Dr. Bussman is stepping into some very big shoes, as they say. During Henningsen’s tenure, Lufthansa Technik grew by leaps and bounds, implemented cutting edge technology and became a world leader in the industry.
While Henningsen was chairman, Lufthansa grew to encompass more than 30 subsidiaries including some in the U. S. and the company claims 800 customers from disparate sectors of the business, from airlines to governments to VIP completions. Part of the success of the company can be attributed to the millions of dollars invested in buildings, infrastructure and innovation.
A perfect example of infrastructure investment is their new Puerto Rico facility. This new five bay facility will open in the third quarter of this year and is slated for overhauls of short- and medium-haul jets, beginning with the A320 for a U. S. customer. The company is also investing approximately $63.4 million in a new wheel and brake shop in Frankfurt. The groundbreaking for that shop will occur this summer and it is scheduled to open in early 2017.
The company also says it is committed to investing $212 million in innovation, research and development between now and 2018. This is about four times as much as in the previous five years, according to a statement by Henningsen at the results meeting in March.