China Southern Airlines and Lufthansa Technik have signed an exclusive eight-year contract regarding the technical support for the auxiliary power units (APUs) of the Chinese carrier’s A350 fleet of currently 20 aircraft. According to the long-term agreement, Lufthansa Technik will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the Honeywell HGT1700 in the company’s specialized APU workshops in Hamburg, Germany.

Chosen as the maintenance partner by manufacturer Honeywell, Lufthansa Technik is the official warranty station and has been granted approval to perform MRO services on this APU type, which is exclusively built for the Airbus A350. The new cooperation consists of an extensive MRO service portfolio, covering spare APU support and engineering services over the duration of the contract. Should the Guanghzou-based airline opt for additional A350s, the agreement would cover them as well.

“With the flight experience in our numerous Airbus A350s, we satisfy thousands of customers every day,” said Wu Rongxin, Executive Vice President of China Southern Airlines. “As the largest airline in China, we want to guarantee our passengers the best operational conditions, and Lufthansa Technik has been instrumentally supporting us to achieve this goal. With a long history of collaboration spanning over more than a decade covering various products and services, we are confident in entrusting Lufthansa Technik with this long-term contract. We are pleased to extend our relationship with such a trustworthy partner.”

“This new collaboration represents the next milestone between China Southern Airlines and Lufthansa Technik, and we take great pride in being selected as the official certified partner providing the APU services,” said Dennis Kohr, Senior Vice President Corporate Sales Asia Pacific. “Auxiliary power units are complex technical assets. Having previously delivered exceptional services on engines and components has given China Southern Airlines the assurance that they can also rely on us in this field. We are delighted to further deepen our partnership with this exclusive long-term contract.”