Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance arm of German airline Lufthansa, sees revenues flat this year from 2009, as global airlines struggle to return to profit following the economic downturn.

"If we can make similar revenues that we made in 2009, I think that's good," chairman of the executive board, August Wilhelm Henningsen, said at the Singapore Airshow.

"That's my expectation because I think it's a year of recovery for the airlines, hopefully. The Asian airlines are coming back, but the rest are still not."

Lufthansa Technik, which generates about 15 percent of Lufthansa's revenue, is one of the world's leading companies offering maintenance and overhaul of civil aircraft engines.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said passenger demand was down 3.5 percent in 2009, while cargo volume showed a decline of 10.1 percent, forcing airlines to cut capacity and retire aircraft.

But there are some growing airlines and Lufthansa Technik is keen to capture such customers, said Henningsen. "Some airlines are growing even in a crisis, so this is an opportunity we have, and that's why we need to stay in this business," Henningsen said.

Asked about where the company sees the biggest business opportunity at this moment, Henningsen said growth is coming from Asian markets, notably China.

"That's the part of the world recovering faster," he said. Henningsen also said investing in such growing markets, including an acquisition of a smaller company, is one option, but added the company currently has no concrete plans.

During the air show, which officially started on Tuesday, Lufthansa Technik announced a three-year maintenance deal with Australia's second-biggest airline, Virgin Blue, under which Lufthansa Technik would maintain the carrier's engines used on Boeing 737s.

The company also announced repair deals with Aeroflot Russian Airlines and separately with AirAsia X.