In the past several months, Direct Maintenance had exciting developments in Germany. One of them is the line maintenance station opening in Frankfurt Airport (FRA). Thus, while the station is up and running, we took a chance to interview Sebastian Schumacher, the maintenance manager of Frankfurt station. Indeed, his contribution made FRA station opening and operations exceptionally sound. Read the interview below and learn more about Schumacher, the career path that led him to Direct Maintenance, his first impressions of the company, and more.
What was your path that led to aviation? How did you end up working at Direct Maintenance?
When I was a little boy back in the nineties, while watching the B747, Galaxy’s and Airbuses landing in Frankfurt (FRA) airport, I became certain that I wanted to seek a career in the aviation industry. This dream led me to work with Lufthansa Technik for over twenty years. First, I became CAT B1 engineer, then Shift Supervisor in the Line Maintenance Customer Department; after that, I was promoted to Technical Expert on the Lufthansa Multi-Crew Cooperations (MCC), working on several Airbus A380 and A350 projects. Nevertheless, after a few decades with Lufthansa Technik, I decided to return to the Line Maintenance Business at my loved “private home base” in Frankfurt, FRA.
What did you know about Direct Maintenance before you joined the company?
No secret that the brand “Direct Maintenance” is well-known in the Line Maintenance Business. The company has happy customers, besides a very informative public relations media style from Direct Maintenance and Magnetic Group, in general, is not left unnoticed in the industry. On top of this, I was aware of several stations of Direct Maintenance in Europe and Africa that handle many prominent high-end customers.
What was your impression of the company when you joined in?
Coming from a vast MRO company, I was looking forward to joining a smaller company that focuses only on the Line Maintenance business. In Direct Maintenance, I received answers to my questions from the beginning and got helpful feedback in no time. I appreciate it. From the management to Finance, Quality Assurance, Human Resources, Sales, managers and engineers – everybody is accommodating. Moreover, I feel the company’s spirit – they have efficient solutions to even severest problems without talking about it for way too long.
What are the main challenges in your line of work, and how you’re handing it?
Becoming a station manager and opening a new station in just a few weeks was a big challenge for me. Now, when this is handled, keeping the station running with new staff, relief planning to maintain the high-quality standards of Direct Maintenance, and of course, the station’s daily business will be the new challenges. Nevertheless, it is all about teamwork at the end of the day, and I think we will overcome any upcoming challenges as the mindset “to think outside the box” is very important for us.
What would be the main achievement for you in your line of work?
To keep the FRA station running smoothly with the help of my colleagues and attract more customers would be my achievement objectives at the moment.
Besides work, what are your hobbies and interests?
Outside aviation, I enjoy football, playing the guitar, also scale modelling.
What is your go-to destination to travel to?
With my former employer, I had the opportunity to see the world due to being a flying engineer with the German air force, also Licensed Aircraft Engineer reliefs to other stations, including one in Amsterdam Airport (AMS), and family holidays abroad. In contrast, I prefer to go to the small German island called „Langeoog“ during my days off and annual summer vacation.