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StandardAero’s business is 80-85% of what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it hopes to be at 100% in the second half of 2021, assuming vaccines roll out and are effective as anticipated, says Tony Brancato, the company’s president of business aviation.
He cites StandardAero’s diversified business mix—which spans business aviation to military customers, and engine to component services—as key to surviving the pandemic and the cyclicality of the aviation business.
The company is in discussions with NetJets to perform Gulfstream G450 airframe inspections, interior modifications and paint. No further details are available.
StandardAero has seen an increase in optional airframe modifications, which customers typically schedule to coincide with planned airframe or engine maintenance, but they are completing them as stand-alone events to take advantage of aircraft downtime.
The pandemic has driven people to digital services, especially those that enable virtual collaboration, and this is the case of StandardAero’s MySA customer portal. Its use has grown 519% this year and is used by more than 1,400 active customers. The platform allows customers to buy, sell, rent and consign engines; request quotes; and submit service requests. StandardAero has managed nearly 100,000 squawks via the portal.
The portal works in conjunction with the company’s Engine Trading Solutions business unit that StandardAero launched in August.
Some of the MRO’s recent milestones include performing more than 21,000 maintenance events for the Honeywell TFE731 over the engine’s life, completing more than 100 bimodal events for the Honeywell HTF7000 series engine this year, and logging the 3,000th engine event for the GE CF34.
It has also finished upgrading six aircraft with the Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite, from Pro Line 4.
StandardAero is owned by The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm.