Lufthansa doing C-Checks on Qantas A380

[Kerosene Kraut]

Starting this june Lufthansa Technik at Frankfurt will do C-Checks for Qantas and their A380. Lufthansa has built a huge maintenance hangar at EDDF which is not fully used yet due to it's own A380 delays. This is news from the Singapore Air Show.

Qantas bringt A380 im Juni nach Frankfurt - zum C-Check - FLUG REVUE

[vapilot2004]

Not a bad choice.

When would the first C happen? 2012?

[Kerosene Kraut]

Well they seem to say this June. Their A380 cant be that old.

[FCS Explorer]

...and why aren't they doing it themselves? how long does a C-check take? hours? days? can it be integrated into the normal a/c rotation?

[Denti]

Considering that even on a small aircraft as the 737 a C check usually requires somewhere between 2 to 4 weeks i would think it can't really done during a normal rotation. Not as bad as a D check though, longest i've seen was an acceptance D check for a formerly stored ex-UA 733 which took 7 months, mind you, they had to replace all pressure bulkheads as they were corroded beyond repair.

[Swedish Steve]

Considering that even on a small aircraft as the 737 a C check usually requires somewhere between 2 to 4 weeks

It really all depends. A C Check is a collection of work cards that are packaged together and done at hangar inputs. It is up to the airline how they are packaged. When BA introduced the Tristar in its shorthaul operation in 1974, they tried to complete the C checks overnight. To accomplish this the C Check was broken down into about 3 packs and done one a night. It didn't work very well and in the end a 24hr input took over.
Even out in GF in BAH we did our B732 C Checks in 3 days. The only real disadvantage of short inputs is that some jobs take longer than 8 hrs, and these have to be done in special inputs that need planning.
There are loads of ways of planning aircraft checks. On a new aircraft, with no corrosion problems, there is no reason that overnight inputs will not work for the first few years.

[pyracantha]

Take into account that they are already advertising for contract A380 engineers to move to Australia, sounds like the company bought the car but lacked the foresight to hire and train the blokes to fix it. Airbus Lufthansa and France consortium can now screw them on price.... Give it a few years, Lufty will move the maintenance to the cheaper (read lower quality) Eastern European states or Far East. Accountants win yet again.

[Denti]

Actually, LHT did most of our C checks, however we used a maintenance scheme which worked without a D check for the whole lifetime of the aircraft.

[Bumpfoh]

Experience?????

Another example of QF not investing in the long term heavy maintenance of their aircraft, but be that as it may if LH don't have any 380 aircraft of their own questions must be asked of "adequate" experience of their staff to complete third party work competently and on time.

No disrespect to the LH engineers but without genuine extended on aircraft experience they may well struggle to get the job done properly anywhere close to on time, but I stand to be proven wrong.

Bear in mind this thing is a very different animal from a maintenance perspective.

[pyracantha]

Remember that Lufthansa keeps re-writing the rule book as far as EASA/recency/experience is concerned. Money talks, so EASA wishes to keep them happy and lets them get away with it. Great business sense by the Germans though, can't fault them for it.

Lufthansa, sorry, Airbus fit the interiors at Hamburg, so that gives them the necessary experience to do heavy maintenance doesn't it?

[Gas Bags]

Bumpfoh,

Other than the OEM what facility in the world would have anything close to HM experience on the A380. Not even QF has this experience, no matter how superior their engineering departments are to the rest of the aviation world.

[leewan]

Other than the OEM what facility in the world would have anything close to HM experience on the A380. Not even QF has this experience, no matter how superior their engineering departments are to the rest of the aviation world.

This facilty has that experience. Needless to say, I dun see QF using it though.

SIAEC Says A380 Teething Problems Are Solved | AVIATION WEEK

[DERG]

Engineering Talent

Why Lufthansa gets the work? It is BETTER than the rest! Which kinda makes sense when you see the safety record of that airline.

The really annoying thing is that apprentices with good academic or vocational talent do not emerge from the UK schooling system.

Ask RR why they are moving to Poland.

[MATMAX]

Guys ,
Do not forget that Lufthansa Technik is the World leading MRO...
Everybody knows how serious they are , it is not only a question of money !
And i have never heard one of their guys unhappy ...
Personnaly , not a surprise.
A French guy.
Tchuss.