Wizz Air extends line maintenance contract with Lufthansa Technik

The Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has extended its contract with Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International (LTMI) for line maintenance services in Romania and Slovakia. The new agreement runs for eight years from November 2015 and reflects updated conditions and scopes of work.

LTMI currently supports Wizz Air with line maintenance services for 16 A320-200 aircraft in Romania and other countries. Under the new agreement, LTMI will perform line maintenance at six stations in Romania and Slovakia, with the possibility of enlarging the network with new stations. LTMI will look after the airline's growing fleet, including the new A321neo aircraft.

As part of the agreement, LTMI will continue to manage the line maintenance network and be responsible for the entire fleet stationed in this region. Its comprehensive services include a single point of contact for all line maintenance issues, preventive maintenance, and performance monitoring of the fleet managed by LTMI.

Diederik Pen, Chief Operations Officer of Wizz Air, says: "Line maintenance services are critical to keep WIZZ aircraft operating on time, so we're happy to continue our relationship in Romania and Slovakia with LTMI as our strategic line maintenance partner. They perform consistently at the level that meets our high standards for reliability and quality and they continue to manage the increased work-scope resulting from our growth while maintaining a competitive price. That allows us to keep our fares low and attractive to our customers in Romania and Slovakia."

Ulrich Hollerbach, Chief Executive Officer of LTMI, says: "It is a great honor for LTMI to be selected once again by Wizz Air and to support the growth of the carrier as a strategic partner. The contract is also very important for us with regard to the line maintenance market for low-cost airlines in general." Martin Ebner, LTMI Operations Officer Line Maintenance Romania, adds: "Over the last five years we have delivered a very high level of technical reliability and flexibility in our partnership with Wizz Air, which is one of the most demanding low-cost airlines in Europe. I strongly believe that this performance was the basis for the continuation of the contract."

Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International is investing considerably in back-shops for sheet metal, heavy tooling and ground support equipment at the stations Bucharest Otopeni Airport, Cluj International Airport, Timișoara International Airport, Târgu Mureș International Airport and Craiova International Airport in Romania, and Košice International Airport in Slovakia. LTMI also evaluates the setup of a line maintenance hangar in Romania, to enable even greater expansion of the scope of work and independence from weather conditions, thus avoiding the costs of rotating aircraft to other stations of Wizz Air.