Lufthansa Technik is currently carrying out what it says is the world’s first performance restoration shop visit (PRSV) of a LEAP-1A engine.
The PRSV serves to restore the performance of the engine, the company said. The shop visit means Lufthansa Technik is able to analyse the new engine type under real operating conditions, helping to identify further design requirements for component repair.
The LEAP-1A engine is owned by the Swedish charter company Nova Airlines. Novair signed a long-term contract for engine services in 2019, becoming Lufthansa Technik’s first-time customer for the new engine type.
An initial test run is used first to analyse which modules are responsible for the efficiency losses. The goal is to make the dismantling and repair effort efficient while keeping the incurred costs for the customer as low as possible, Lufthansa Technik said.
In addition, the initial analysis also helps to acquire data to create a digital twin of this engine type. This data can then also be used for the digital platform AVIATAR as part of Lufthansa Technik’s engine health monitoring.
“It is with great expectations that Novair now submits its first LEAP-1A to Lufthansa Technik for performance restoration,” said Novair’s director technical operations Thomas Krook. “Few things mean as much to our airline as getting engines through the shop with the best possible outcome. We look forward to Lufthansa Technik not only delivering the baseline product, but as seen in the past – developing knowledge and methods for sending engines back to us with the highest possible return of investment in the shop visit.”
Lufthansa Technik’s vice president commercials engine services Derrick Siebert commented: “The first performance restoration shop visit of a LEAP-1A engine marks another major milestone for us. I would like to thank our launching customer Novair for the trust they placed in us and for the opportunity to further expand our technical support for them and all other customers. We are proud to be the world’s first MRO supplier to carry out this PRSV and will further develop our services based on the gained knowledge.”
