Canadian airline WestJet has entered into an exclusive agreement with Lufthansa Technik to provide aircraft engine maintenance services.
The 15-year, multi-billion-dollar deal will see Lufthansa Technik provide maintenance for the LEAP-1B engines powering WestJet’s Boeing 737 fleet.
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The partnership will involve a broad range of services, including on-wing repairs and full performance restorations for WestJet’s fleet, which is expected to exceed 130 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by the end of the decade.
Lufthansa Technik will leverage its global network to offer these services, with overhauls taking place in Hamburg, Germany, and near Wrocław, Poland, while introducing quick turn shop visits at the Calgary facility.
CFM International, the LEAP-1B engine manufacturer, has created an open maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) ecosystem, with Lufthansa Technik as a CFM Premier MRO partner licenced for full MRO services.
WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said: “We are proud to partner with Lufthansa Technik. This is an extraordinary moment for WestJet, our guests, WestJetters, Western Canada’s communities and our suppliers.”
A new 150,000ft2 engine repair facility, the “first” of its kind in Canada, will be established by Lufthansa Technik in Calgary to service these engines, with operations commencing in 2027.
The Calgary Airport Authority has secured a long-term lease with Lufthansa Technik for the C$120m (84.6m) facility, which will be integrated with the airport’s growth plans.
The new facility is supported by funding from various partners, including the Canadian and Alberta governments, Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF), Calgary Economic Development, Calgary International Airport, and the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
The Canadian government is investing C$8m ($5.6m) for the construction of the facility, while the Alberta government is providing C$7.45m (5.25m) through the Investment and Growth Fund and the Aerospace Workforce Development Grant.
OCIF’s C$2.5m ($1.7m) investment over four years will help establish Lufthansa Technik’s Western Canada headquarters and support sustainable fuel and next-generation engine work.
Lufthansa Technik plans to create up to 160 new jobs by 2030 and will open a dedicated training centre this year to prepare new employees.
Lufthansa Technik CEO Soeren Stark said: “This agreement represents one of the largest awards ever granted to any MRO provider for CFM LEAP engines worldwide. It’s a contract that underlines Lufthansa Technik’s leading position in the support of new generation engine types.”
This month, Lufthansa Technik Component Services (LTCS), the American arm of Lufthansa Technik, initiated an expansion project for its facility at Tulsa International Airport.
