Lufthansa Technik (booth 2621) says it expects to retain its unique position carrying out cabin completions for the Airbus A318 Elite corporate jet.
Airbus Corporate Jet Centre head of sales and marketing Bruno Galzin confirms that the Elite is a "highly successful line" with 25 orders and - at three a year - all the delivery slots sold out until the end of 2011.
Airbus marketing director executive and private aviation David Velupillai says that the company does not like to refer to the arrangement as exclusive, but Lufthansa Technik is meeting the requirement for high-quality, on-time Elite completions.
The completions are carried out at Lufthansa's plants at Hamburg and at Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the company will be carrying out an increasing number of single-aisle business jet interiors.
Meanwhile, the completions and conversions business is booming and there is plenty in store for the future, predicts Lufthansa Technik. The company estimates that the VIP conversions market over the next five years will be worth $2 billion, with the VIP maintenance market alone worth $1 billion over the same period.
There is an increasing demand, says the company, for "second-life" refurbishments or partial refurbishments, some of which can be done at the same time as a C or D check hangar visit.
Source: Flight Daily News
