The newly acquired Q400 fleet of Philippine Airlines was brought into good hands under the Lufthansa Technik group’s proven experience in maintenance, repair and overhaul. A five-year Total Component Support TCS® contract that covers the five RP-registered turbo-propeller aircraft under the PAL Express brand was recently inked between Lufthansa Technik Philippines and PAL. The deal involves Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) as the provider of TCS® to PAL Express.

The sealed agreement was a significant business leap

towards further strengthening the partnership between PAL and LTP. According to Richard Lynch, LTP’s Vice President for Material Management, the contract is the first TCS® deal of PAL. It is, likewise, the first turboprop contract for LHT in Asia. Lufthansa Technik Philippines finds this new venture as another milestone with the set deal exceeding beyond the terms of the 10-year Technical Services Agreement signed in July 2000.

TCS®, one of Lufthansa Technik’s premier products, covers both component pooling and component repair services. The concept features the seamless integration of component maintenance and access to a commonly used material stock (pool) that is located at Lufthansa Technik in Munich and a small onsite stock at the operators’ main base to secure aircraft availability. It allows PAL Express to turn a fixed investment for component spares into variable costs of a monthly access fee. At the same time administration is decreased, risk is reduced and dispatch reliability is enhanced.

Supply of components from the LHT main stock in Munich is ensured 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Aircraft on ground (AOG) requirements will be attended to with the highest priority—response within two hours and a booking on the next available flight to Manila.

With a single resource interface for access to needed parts, total savings for small fleets like PAL Express largely outweigh costs involved in a complete spare-parts inventory investment.

PAL’s Q400 fleet is the most advanced member of the Bombardier Q family. Each aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A turbo-prop engines, and holds a 76-passenger seating capacity. With a maximum flying range of 2,826 kilometers, all five DASH8-Q400s lined for the signed TCS® agreement are part of PAL’s newly acquired turbo-prop fleet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace of Canada. A total of three Q300 and five Q400 were delivered last year to form the PAL Express fleet.

 
These turbo-prop aircraft boast an impressive combination of travel comfort and speed— making this family of aircraft the ideal carrier for low-cost domestic flights. Today, PAL Express flies to 21 provincial routes around the Philippines from its Cebu, Manila and Davao hubs.