Germany’s Lufthansa Technik will be displaying its wide-ranging prowess extending from VIP aircraft completions and operations and technical support to cabin and inflight entertainment (IFE) innovations at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (Ebace 2015).

Ebace will be held from May 19 to 21 at the Palexpo centre in Geneva, Switzerland. Now in its 15th year, the show is jointly hosted each year by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), the leading association for business aviation in Europe, and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the leading voice for the business aviation industry in the US.

Group companies which will be present at the show (booth T089) include Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey, Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services, BizJet International, Inairvation and IDAIR (which will have its own booth).

“With more than 60 years of experience and more than 90 narrow- and widebody VIP aircraft completions, Lufthansa Technik is the unrivalled market leader in this business,” says a company spokesman. “Besides all well-established Airbus and Boeing aircraft types, Lufthansa Technik is already working on the newest wide-body generations and the first 747-8 VIP completions are already being performed at the Lufthansa Technik facility in Hamburg.”

He continues: “Lufthansa Technik offers an unparalleled completion process including interior design, engineering, on-site furniture production and cabin installation, covering all Airbus and Boeing aircraft. With Lufthansa Technik’s worldwide presence and on-site services, the company provides its customers with global top-class operational support. It offers all the benefits of a one-stop provider for completion, modification and technical services focused on quality and maximum aircraft availability.


THE DISHWASHAIR

At the show, Lufthansa Technik will be also putting the spotlight on its cabin and IFE innovations, which include Nice HD, the next-generation business jet cabin management and entertainment system which now supports studio approved content service with the latest Hollywood blockbusters.

Lufthansa Tehcnik has also just launched a new “flying dishwasher” which enables cabin crew to wash dishes instead of stockpiling them.

Dubbed the ‘Dishwashair’, the new innovation was developed by the German firm hs2 engineering under the guidance of Lufthansa Technik engineers for use on board passenger aircraft. 

The dishwasher dispenses with the need of taking mountains of heavy dishes and silverware on long-haul flights, by enabling crew to just wash smaller amounts crockery and cutlery now and then, it points out.

The professional-quality unit featuring complex safety mechanisms is in series production and can wash a load of dishes in only six minutes with three litres of water. The unit can be installed and connected in standard aircraft galleys.

Baskets that fit in any standardised galley can be used for placement of dishes and silverware in the Dishwashair, which can easily be attached to the available connections for fresh and waste water or vacuum systems in an aircraft. 

A single fill-up of the two required cleaning agents is enough for up to 40 wash cycles.

“Long-haul aircraft in particular take along lots of dishware, amounts that can be reduced considerably with clever logistics,” says Oliver Thomaschewski, Head of Seating and Structures in the Original Equipment Innovation product division at Lufthansa Technik. 

“No normal household would keep a separate set of dishes for every meal. Now our ‘Dishwashair’ makes it possible, even in an aircraft, to bring along only the amounts actually needed to provide service.”

Some of Lufthansa Technik’s VIP customers have already decided to have the “Dishwashair” installed, he adds.


ASIAN SUCCESS

Meanwhile, Lufthansa Technik has registered another success in the Asian VIP market, winning a contract for an Airbus ACJ319 cabin completion for an undisclosed customer from Greater China. 

The completion will be performed by Lufthansa Technik’s US-subsidiary BizJet International in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in exclusive co-operation with the bespoke division of Hermès, Paris (France), renowned for its expertise in made-to-measure design and upholstery. 

Redelivery of the completed aircraft to the customer is planned for spring 2016.

The bespoke interior comprises a spacious dining and lounge area, a private master bedroom/office as well a fully equipped master bathroom featuring a large shower. 

Brian Barber, Vice President Completions & MRO at BizJet International, says: “The ACJ319 will have 19 seats for take-off, 12 of which can be in full-flat sleeping positions.”

He continues: “Our client has a very special request for the design and finishing of the VIP club-seats and divans, which will be designed and upholstered by Hermès’ craftsmen in Paris. The cabin interior will also feature some exclusive Hermès fabric on the bulkhead and curtain of the aft cabin. 

“We at Lufthansa Technik and BizJet are proud to be part of this outstanding project.”

Adding to the delicate interior design, the aircraft will be equipped with a state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment and cabin management system which can be controlled with tablet devices via a cabin wi-fi environment. 

All of the furniture, including the galley, will be constructed in-house at BizJet.

Together with another narrowbody aircraft which was delivered in March to a Chinese customer, as well as one BBJ and one BBJ2 aircraft for Chinese clients which are currently in completion at BizJet, the ACJ319 will mark Lufthansa Technik’s 29th VIP completion for the Greater China market, making it a leading provider in this important and dynamic region.

Wieland Timm, Executive Director Sales, VIP and Special Mission Aircraft, at Lufthansa Technik, says: “Lufthansa Technik has been active in China since the mid-1980s and I would like to thank our customers from the region for their hitherto trust. We are extremely proud that we have been able to establish Lufthansa Technik as the market leader for VIP completions and technical services in Greater China.” 

With more than 30 subsidiaries and about 26,000 employees worldwide, the Lufthansa Technik Group is one of the leading providers of services for the aviation industry. The group’s portfolio encompasses the entire spectrum of services in the areas of maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification and conversion, engines and components.