Gallery: MRO Activity At Paris Air Show 2023

Following its recent agreement for a widebody order of 39 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, Riyadh Air has signed a deal for 90 GEnx-1B engines to power its new fleet. The order also includes spare engines and a TrueChoice aftermarket services agreement. Saudi Arabia's new flag carrier unveiled its first aircraft livery at Paris.

Coinciding with an order for 17 GEnx-1B engines and spares to power its fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft, Taiwanese carrier China Airlines also signed up to a comprehensive services agreement. The airline has operated GE Aerospace engines since 1999 when it first purchased 13 GE CF6-80C2-powered Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

Avianor will establish a center of excellence for Airbus A330 aircraft at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport. Scheduled to open in Q3 2024, the center of excellence will be set up through an investment of $70 million in infrastructure. Once established, the new 105,000 sq. ft. hangar will create more than 100 highly specialized maintenance jobs and gives Avianor four additional maintenance lines to accommodate A220 aircraft.

Chinese MRO provider Haite Group and Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) signed an agreement related to the framework of the letter of intent signed by both parties back in February related to Airbus A321P2F conversion work. The first A321P2F induction is expected in August 2023 at Haite in Tianjin.

Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) used its Paris homebase to showcase a string of new agreements. Chief among these was the announce that it would join the CareNetwork of British engine maker Rolls-Royce for the Trent XWB engine powering Airbus A350 aircraft. It says it is currently setting up full maintenance capabilities for the engine type from its facilities in Paris, which will eventually offer full overhauls.

Some major leasing contracts signed at Paris also included maintenance agreements. These include Icelandic start-up airline Play has partnered with Ireland-based Shannon Engine Support (SES) on a 10-year LEAP-1A operating lease agreement, which includes a letter of intent for 24-hour support from SES, effective from July.

GE Aerospace entered a strategic cooperation with flag carrier Garuda Indonesia to restore and overhaul the airline’s fleet of GE and CFM engines. Garuda and its subsidiaries, Garuda Group, GMF AeroAsia and Citilink, signed a memorandum of understanding with the OEM that encompasses training and skills development, lease engine support and overhaul services for its fleet of CFM56-7B and GE90-115B engines.

GE Aerospace signed terms to fulfill orders for 37 CF34-8E engines for Indianapolis-based Republic Airways’ fleet of Embraer E170/175 regional jets. The agreement includes spare engines and an extension of the airline’s TrueChoice services agreement. The airline operates an all-CF34-powered fleet comprised of 214 Embraer E170/175 aircraft.

Another major deal for AFI KLM E&M at the Paris Air Show was the signing of its first U.S. contract to provide support for more than 200 components on JetBlue’s fleet of Airbus A220 aircraft. Under the teams of the agreement, the French-Dutch MRO provider will provide repairs, provision of on-site stock and access to a pool of inventory for the New York City-headquartered airline. 

Pratt & Whitney announced German leisure airline Condor signed an EngineWise maintenance long-term agreement for its fleet of 41 GTF-powered Airbus A320neo family aircraft comprised of 13 A320neo and 28 A321neo aircraft.

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer signed a letter of agreement for Lanzhou Aviation to become the Chinese launch customer for its recently announced E190Fs and E195F passenger to freighter conversion program. The agreement with Lanzhou covers 20 aircraft.

As part of an order for 15 GTF-powered Airbus A220-100 and A220-200 aircraft, Croatia Airlines finalized an agreement with Pratt & Whitney for engine maintenance though a long-term EngineWise maintenance contract. Services will begin on delivery of the first aircraft expected for Q2 2024.

British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce announced several TotalCare aftermarket contracts at the Paris Air Show. These include an agreement with Kuwait Airways, which signed a TotalCare services deal for its fleet of Trent 7000 engines powering its fleet of Airbus A330neo aircraft. It also signed terms with Egyptair for a TotalCare service agreement extension for its Trent 700 engines powering four A330-200 aircraft. Also in North Africa, the engine maker signed a contract with Tunisair covering Trent 700 engines powering two A330-200 aircraft. In addition, Rolls-Royce added Papua New Guinea carrier Air Niugini to its TotalCare network after the airline ordered four Trent 1000 engines to power its fleet of two Boeing 787 aircraft.