Air New Zealand says its gas turbines business has won a fourth contract to service the US Navy General Electric LM2500 power turbines.
The Auckland-based team will begin maintenance on 10 additional turbines powering the US Navy’s cruiser fleet from late August with completion due in 2021, Air New Zealand said on Friday.
This latest contract was worth more than US$17 million (A$24 million) and brought the value of committed US Navy work to US$80 million, the airline said.
The company first secured work on the US Navy’s cruiser fleet in 2017, with a second contract awarded in October 2018 and a third in April 2018.
Air New Zealand Gas Turbines is part of the the airline’s engineering and maintenance division and provides maintenance planning, configuration control and reliability management of wide and narrow body jet fleets and components.
Its line, light and heavy maintenance teams and support workshops carry out maintenance, modification, repair and overhaul at the Auckland and Christchurch jet bases.
Air New Zealand chief ground operations officer Carrie Hurihanganui said there was competitive bidding for the contract and winning the work solidified the airline’s long association with the US Navy.
“This fourth contract win is a credit to the Gas Turbines team and further strengthens our to more than 20-year relationship with the US Navy,” Hurihanganui said in a statement.
“It’s a clear indicator of the calibre of work the team produces.”
Air New Zealand Gas Turbines began sourcing work in the industrial and marine sector more than 35 years ago, supporting navies, offshore oil and gas platform operators and power generation companies.
The LM2500 marine gas turbine is a simple-cycle, two-shaft, high-performance engine. It is derived from General Electric’s CF6-6 aircraft engines which entered service with United Airlines and American Airlines in the late 1960s as preferred power plant for the Douglas DC-10 Series 10.
The LM2500, used by about 30 navies around the world, consists of a gas generator, a power turbine, attached fuel and lube oil pumps, a fuel control and speed governing system, associated inlet and exhaust sections, lube and scavenge systems as well as controls and devices for starting and monitoring engine operation.
