- Lufthansa Technik is tackling India’s Aircraft on Ground (AOG) challenges with faster spare part logistics and predictive maintenance tools.
- Air India and other airlines benefit from reduced turnaround times, eco-friendly engine washes, and advanced inventory solutions.
- With its “Ambition 2030” strategy, Lufthansa Technik is investing heavily in India to meet the growing demand for MRO services.
Lufthansa Technik India
One of the main concerns of airlines in India has been the issue of ‘Aircraft on Ground’ (AOG) due to ‘longish’ turnaround times at maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities where spare parts may not be readily available or the facility may not have the capability to deal with the snag. As per ICRA, by March 2025, India had around 133 aircraft (16% of the overall fleet) on the ground, adding to the airline’s costs, besides disrupting operations. Boeing has estimated that a 1-2 hour AOG situation may cost an airline anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000 or more, depending on the type of aircraft and the route it operates on.
With ongoing global supply chain disruptions and the ‘delayed’ availability of spare parts and components, the aviation sector faces formidable challenges, placing OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), airlines, and aftermarket service providers in an unenviable position.
It is for the MROs to get their act right, and now is the time. Lufthansa Technik (LHT) is seemingly making the right moves, realising the MRO potential that is emerging in India. Lufthansa Technik is substantially increasing its investment in India, driven by the need of the airlines for quicker turnaround times and also factoring in the rapid growth of airlines like IndiGo and Air India, which are adding 1,260 aircraft from Airbus alone between the two of them in the next decade.
Spare parts availability
Specifically, on AOG, Lufthansa Technik India has started helping airlines reduce the incidence rate by making components available as quickly as possible. It has plugged Indian operations into its global logistics hubs (Hamburg, Frankfurt, Tulsa and Shenzhen), enabling it to have spare parts (avionics, landing gear, auxiliary power units, etc) shipped within 24-48 hours with AOG priority, using LHT’s bonded customs agreements with Indian airports. Customs clearance, on an average, took three to five days. It’s a 24/7 AOG desk that manages spare part dispatches, repairs, exchanges and technical logistics.
Air India, one of its major customers, has placed 27 Boeing 777 aircraft under a multi-year contract of the ‘Total Component Support’ which enables the airline to get access to India-based inventory pools (from key hubs like Hyderabad, Delhi, and Bengaluru) and Asia-Pacific mega-pools (in Singapore, Hong Kong) for less common parts. The turnaround time in such cases is about 2 to 4 hours if the part is locally stocked and 24 to 72 hours if sourced internationally via priority freight. This, otherwise, would have taken a week or more to have the components in place. With TCS from Lufthansa Technik, Air India has not reported any major flight delays due to component unavailability since Q2 2024.
Lufthansa Technik’s AVIATAR platform helps Indian airline partners to predict component failures using fleet data, pre-position parts ahead of time, and track the status of AOG shipments minute-by-minute. Predictive part replacement has reduced the number of AOG incidents altogether, turning them into planned maintenance events.
Photo: Air India Express
Besides Air India, Lufthansa Technik also takes care of engine maintenance service for Air India Express since last January. LHT is in talks with low-cost carrier Indigo to expand engine and component support; logistics benefit expected to cut their grounded aircraft numbers significantly, especially with faster replacement of P&W engine modules.
Cyclean Engine Wash pan-India rollout
LHT is planning to introduce Cyclean Engine Wash at major Indian airports after having found success in Bengaluru, where it rolled out the same last year. This eco-friendly system uses 50 % less water and completes washes in under 45 minutes—no post-wash engine run-ups required. It joined hands with GMR Aero Technic (GAT) to provide this service at Hyderabad.
Earlier this year, the Lufthansa Group onboarded Infosys to set up a Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Bengaluru at a cost of $300 million to bolster software and product development for the group. The collaboration taps into Infosys’ AI stack—especially Infosys Topaz (generative AI) and the Cobalt Airline Cloud—to build advanced, sustainable aviation IT tools and data-driven solutions.
These India initiatives are part of Lufthansa Technik’s “Ambition 2030” strategy, which allocates over €1 billion for expansion in Asia, Europe, and the Americas to meet rising MRO demand, especially in engine and components. Lufthansa Technik is making a concerted push in India, enhancing engine care, component logistics, and overhaul services well beyond traditional aircraft maintenance. This comprehensive expansion not only supports India’s booming aviation market but also cements LHT as a major MRO player in South Asia.
Read More: Lufthansa Technik Delivers Record H1 Earnings with €4 Billion Revenue Despite Tariff Headwinds
