NAS in maintenance agreement with Lufthansa Technik

Under the agreement Lufthansa Technik will maintain engines for NAS, and extend for 10 years a deal to take responsibility for maintaining carrier NAS Air's aircraft.

Lufthansa Technik will also oversee work conducted by NAS Tech, ensuring it meets the same level of technical standards. This phase of the agreement will run for about three years, while a second stage will involve the two sides' co-operating to carry out third-party work in Saudi Arabia.

NAS chief Sulaiman Al-Hamdan said the pact has taken more than a year of talks to establish. He adds that the company is investing in aircraft hangar facilities and workshops in order to provide the necessary capabilities. This move will enable NAS to get authority to maintain large civil aircraft, as well as aircraft like the Airbus A320s and Embraer regional jets which are part of the NAS Air fleet.

Its current approvals are limited to light maintenance checks on single-aisle types and business jets, and NAS Tech says it wants to expand its abilities to more comprehensive maintenance on a broader range of aircraft.

NAS is also intending to use the Lufthansa Technik agreement to recruit and train new engineering personnel.