Lufthansa Technik Middle East has always been at the forefront of sustainable aviation, which is why the group has been collaborating with world-renowned conservationist brands like BASF to help preserve the environment, reduce energy, and fuel consumption. Product of BASF collaboration — helps reduce fuel consumption by 3,700 tonnes and CO2 emissions by up to 11,700 tonnes. Hydrogen fuel technology is also an area of development for us, and we are currently performing fuel infrastructure testing to prepare ourselves for what is, this greener form of energy. Lufthansa Technik Middle East is also currently working with Sanad — the global aerospace engineering and leasing solutions leader wholly-owned by Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) — to optimize Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) processes using technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR). The purpose behind the agreement — signed during Dubai Airshow 2021 — is to support growing digitalization requirements of MRO businesses by investing in research and development for a digitalized future.
In line with the UAE’s strategic initiative ‘Operation 300bn’ and its focus on deploying Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, the two companies aim to streamline their maintenance processes through these digital capabilities by developing and implementing digital solutions set to reduce turnaround times and costs, ultimately to better serve their end-customers. The research points out at mainly four factors that may impact the recovery of MRO sector include the epidemiological timeline and public health response; traveler sentiment; government restrictions; and macroeconomic recovery that will affect both the leisure and business travel markets. Business travel demand will also be tempered by a permanent increase in the use of telecommuting and videoconferencing technologies, which have been more widely disseminated during the pandemic. The Middle East has the slowest recovery timeline, attributable to an outsized exposure to international travel compared to other regions.