GERMANY: Lufthansa Evaluating Damage To Airbus A340-300 After Tug Fire

Lufthansa is still assessing the damage to the Airbus A340-300 caught up in a ground tractor fire at Frankfurt Main airport.

The aircraft suffered smoke contamination of its forward fuselage but images from the scene also indicate that its nose skin was breached during the blaze with the strong possibility that smoke entered the cockpit and cabin.

There is no confirmation on the damage itself, says Lufthansa. There's currently an assessment of the situation and it will take some days.

German air accident investigation authority BFU is not probing the accident, because the aircraft was not engaged in any air transport operation at the time.

Lufthansa confirms, however, that the tow-tractor involved was a diesel-powered vehicle and not one of the new electric 'eTug' tractors put into operation at Frankfurt.

Ground-handling firm Lufthansa LEOS, a subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik, recently put a second 'eTug' into service at the hub.

The vehicle, developed by Sweden's Kalmar Motor and fitted with lithium-ion batteries, is able to tow long-haul types including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 and is designed to cut emissions by 75% compared with a conventional tractor.

LEOS began using the vehicle at Frankfurt in 2016 and provided feedback to improve the tractor before taking the second.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Lufthansa Group To Sign 3000 New Staff In 2017

Deutsche Lufthansa AG will once again hire more than 3000 new staff this year. It is mostly flight attendants who will join the various airlines of the Lufthansa Group in 2017.

Lufthansa, Germany’s biggest airline, will hire 1400 flight attendants at the hubs in Frankfurt and Munich alone; overall the Lufthansa Group airlines will hire more than 2200 new staff.

Last year, in addition to the conventional application processes, Lufthansa also held six flight attendant castings in Heidelberg, Mainz, Augsburg, Regensburg, Munich and Berlin, which was met with great interest among the target group.

More than 2000 applicants went to the castings, and almost 6000 attended the regular application days in Frankfurt. Almost one in every three applicants was accepted.

Sandra Albrecht, for example. “I have always wanted to work at Lufthansa”, says the Frankfurt based woman, who, in the summer, successfully completed the Lufthansa flight attendant casting in Mainz. “It has always been my dream to be a flight attendant. I couldn’t believe my luck at first”, she says, happily. For Sandra Albrecht, the dream of flying is within her grasp.

Other divisions are also hiring. Lufthansa Technik, for example, is planning to recruit 450 new staff at different locations, and Austrian Airlines is hiring more than 300 new, cabin, check-in and cockpit staff, and other divisions are also looking.

With 37,000 employees, Lufthansa is the largest employer in Frankfurt and Hesse.

For the aviation group, training young people is of particular importance. 250 new candidates will start an apprenticeship or a degree in the Lufthansa Group in 2016/17. And there is a lot to choose from: there are nine degree courses and 34 training programmes, including toolmaker, air traffic assistant, system catering professional and forwarding and logistics services expert.

“Lufthansa remains the most attractive employer in Germany and the employer of choice for many applicants. Last year, more than 100,000 applications were submitted to the career portal at www.be-lufthansa.com. This makes us very proud. We are pleased to hire more than 3000 staff again this year”, says Carsten Spohr, chairman of the board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

Lufthansa To Eliminate 700 Jobs

Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s plane-servicing business is cutting 700 engine-maintenance jobs as new, low-maintenance engines and fresh competitors put a dent in earnings at its most profitable unit.

Most of the cuts will come at Lufthansa Technik’s Hamburg site, which employs 1,800 people, spokesman Jens Krueger said by phone. The unit has 2,000 workers throughout Germany. The airline will rely on measures such as early retirement to achieve the reductions in the next five-to-eight years, Krueger said. The challenge facing the division is that modern engines need to be serviced less frequently, he said.

Lufthansa Technik has said its global market share shrunk to 8 percent last year from 13 percent in 2009. Lufthansa Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr said earlier this month the division would seek to cut 70 million euros ($77 million) from administrative expenses by 2018. The reductions are part of a earnings-improvement drive across Lufthansa, with job cuts also on the table in the cargo and catering units.

Lufthansa Technick’s Total Supports Safair

The South African carrier Safair has contracted Lufthansa Technik to provide comprehensive component support. The corresponding Total Component Support TCS® contract covers component maintenance, repair, overhaul as well as access to an adequate pool of spares. Effective from 1 April the contract comprises the support for up to five Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft operated by Safair’s low-cost airline FlySafair.

With this contract, Lufthansa Technik further strengthens its presence in the African market where airlines such as Kenya Airways, RwandAir, South African Airways and SA Express are already relying on Lufthansa Technik’s wide-ranging services.

Lufthansa Technik Total Component Support TCS® is the perfect solution for operators that want optimal component availability without the task of setting up and maintaining their own spare parts inventories. Customers benefit from a unique pooling concept: Lufthansa Technik stocks more than 100,000 components and guarantees 100 percent reliable delivery at a pre-determined service level. Members of the Lufthansa Technik TCS® pool also benefit from reductions in operating costs through economies of scale.

The low-cost South African airline FlySafair began operations in 2014, serving six domestic destinations from the airline’s hub in Johannesburg.

KUWAIT: Jazeera Airways, Largest Airline Serving Middle East Out Of Kuwait.

Jazeera Airways K.S.C is a Kuwaiti airline with its head office on the grounds of Kuwait International Airport in Al Farwaniyah Governorate, Kuwait.It operates scheduled services in the Middle East. Its main base is Kuwait International Airport. The airline has grown since its launch to become Kuwait's second national airline and has been dynamic in popularizing low-cost carriers in the Middle East. Jazeera Airways is one of the largest operators at Kuwait airport, having handled a quarter of all aircraft movements and passengers at the airport during July 2009. According to the July 2009 report issued by Kuwait Directorate General for Civil Aviation's, Jazeera Airways had the largest number of aircraft movement in the month with 1834 take-offs and landings, overpassing the second largest carrier in aircraft movement by 4%.

In 2004 the Kuwait Government permitted the establishment of the non-governmental airline firm, essentially ending Kuwait’s 50-year old dependency on Kuwait Airways. The 2004 Emiree Decree #89 established Jazeera Airways as the first airline to enter this newly liberalized industry.

Jazeera Airways raised its capital of KD 10 million (USD 35 million) through an initial public offering in Kuwait that was oversubscribed 12 times.The capital was doubled to KD 20 million (USD 70 million) in 4Q 2007 by a second offering to existing shareholders. In May 2009, a share distribution of 10% effectively increased the capital to KD 22 million (USD 77 million).

About 26% of the airline is owned by two companies affiliated with the Boodai Group: Wings Finance (9%) and Boodai Projects (17%). 6-7% is also held by Jasem M. al-Mousa Trading, a company owned by a former Minister of Public Works in the first Kuwaiti government established after the end of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. About 17.5% is held by two real estate companies, and the rest is publicly held.

Jazeera Airways started operations on 30 October 2005 with a fleet of brand new Airbus A320 aircraft, all leather seats, flying to several destinations in the Middle East.

In Q2 2009, UAE authorities requested the airline to terminate its hub operations at Dubai. This step was seen as a support to Dubai's upcoming launch of its own low-cost airline, FlyDubai.

Jazeera changed its operation model by concentrating on its Kuwait hub and trying to launch a second hub somewhere else. By Q2 2010, the new model proved unprofitable as the Kuwait hub suffered from overcapacity. The airline changed its plans by cancelling many stations and parking some aircraft which were later returned to lessor.

Jazeera Airways flies to destinations across the Middle East from its base in Kuwait.

The airline's fleet is powered by CFM56-5B engines. The airline has contracted Lufthansa Technik to maintain and service them. All Jazeera Airways aircraft are fitted with 165 leather seats, equipped with In-flight Entertainment, and split into two cabins: Jazeera and Jazeera Plus. When Jazeera Plus is offered, six seats are cancelled to provide 12 Plus seats in addition to 147 Economy seats.

Jazeera Airways ordered 30 Airbus A320s on 18 June 2007. This was announced at the Paris Air Show bringing its total orders up to 35 Airbus A320s.

During 2010, due to the airline's change of operation plans, several aircraft were parked, and eventually five were returned to lessor Sahaab which leased them to Virgin America and SriLankan Airlines.

In April 2011, Jazeera Airways canceled 25 of the 40 A320s it ordered in 2007. Jazeera will take delivery of four A320s still on order from 2012-2014.

The airline offers business and economy class seating.


Jazeera Airways is the largest airline serving the Middle East out of Kuwait. We currently serve 19 destinations across the Middle East and operate a modern fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft all fitted with our signature leather seats and a two-class cabin. Jazeera Airways’ Economy Class amenities include 40 kilograms in free baggage allowance for every passenger, a complimentary selection of on board meals that change every month, so our frequent travelers can always count on a new meal experience when flying with us. Our Business Class travelers get both an upgraded experience and exclusivity, starting with exclusive check-in lines and business lounge access, up to 60 kilograms in free baggage allowance, an exclusive on-board cabin, and in addition to special meals.

In 2011 Jazeera Airways carried 1.2 million passengers in total across our network, which includes high-demand business, leisure, family, and weekend destinations such as Dubai, Bahrain, Beirut, Alexandria, Amman, Damascus, Istanbul, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Luxor, Mashhad, Sohag, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, and Cairo.

Established in April 2004, Jazeera Airways was first non-government owned airline in the Middle East and continues to be one of the few Middle-East based non-government owned airlines to this day. Today, Jazeera Airways is a publicly-traded company and is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Jazeera Airways is an IATA-member.

The Board of Directors
• Marwan Boodai, Chairman
• Jassim Boodai, Vice Chairman
• Mohamed Khan
• Ahmed Abdullah
• Hany Mohamed Shawqy Younes

The Executive Team
• Marwan Boodai, Chairman
• Donald Hubbard, Chief Financial Officer
• Abdullah Al Hudaid, Chief Operating Officer and Accountable Manager
• Razali Idris, VP for Engineering and Maintenance
• Captain Falah Al Shammary, VP for Operations
• Captain Nasser Al Ajmi, VP for Training
• Naser Al Obaid, VP for Ground Operations
• Bader Al Mershed, VP for Industry Affairs
• Martin Aeberli, VP Revenue Management and Network Planning
• Dr. Mohamed Barakat, VP Marketing & Product
• Rafik Boghdady, VP Sales