Spirit AeroSystems’ deal to buy certain Bombardier commercial aviation assets significantly broadens the aerostructures specialist’s aftermarket presence beyond traditional spare-parts sales, largely through principal customer Boeing.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has withdrawn three of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft from service after the discovery of cracks located between the aircraft’s fuselage and wing.

Marking the largest move yet in the overhaul of the aerostructures sector, provider Spirit AeroSystems will buy Bombardier’s aerostructures businesses in Northern Ireland and Morocco.

Over the coming month, a group of aviation stakeholders will announce a collaborative MRO blockchain project that will give greater visibility over the lifecycle of aircraft parts.

Minimizing aircraft downtime is a mantra of MRO, but UK LCC easyJet is finding that as some of its Airbus aircraft get older, the ground-breaking maintenance program that it started using in 2004 to break up big maintenance checks into smaller overnight packages is not working.