Lufthansa Technik AG in Hamburg has received approval across all aircraft types for a new generation of photoluminescent exit signs. With immediate effect the existing maintenance-intensive and non-environmentally-friendly exit signs at the flexible curtains in the cabin can be replaced by the Lufthansa Technik GuideU material, which is already used for emergency floor path marking.

Regular replacement of signs for reasons of aging as has been the case to date is now history thanks to a so-called “Multitype STC”, an aircraft manufacturer and type-spanning approval for the new material. The exit sign made from the self-illuminating, aging-resistant and completely maintenance-free GuideU material simply has to be installed once directly at the aircraft manufacturer or as part of routine maintenance work. The signs previously had to be replaced after seven years at the latest.

“The new exit sign extends the product range of our GuideU system and allows us to fulfill the strictest demands for environmental protection as well as zero-maintenance,” says Torben Biehl, Head of Product Development for GuideU at Lufthansa Technik. The new system is already being used ex factory by Airbus. “We have made great progress in recent years in optimizing GuideU, which is now translating into additional potential applications.”

30 different language variants of the bilingual signs are already available now, while others are in progress. The signs can be replaced as part of smaller maintenance activities during daily aircraft operation.

It has been twenty years since the GuideU floor path marking system was launched on the market by Lufthansa Technik, during which time the system has been continually advanced by the Hamburg engineers.

Lufthansa Technik

The Lufthansa Technik Group, with more than 30 subsidiaries and about 25,000 employees worldwide, is one of the leading providers of technical services for the aviation industry. Lufthansa Technik is licensed internationally as a repair, production and development enterprise. The Group’s portfolio encompasses the entire spectrum of services in the areas of maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification and conversion, engines and components.