Inside MRO Contracts And Briefs, September 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

Air France, Airbus Consider A350 Component Support Joint Venture

Air France and Airbus have entered into exclusive negotiations over a 50-50 Airbus A350 component maintenance services joint venture aimed at better meeting the growing long-term maintenance needs of the A350 as the worldwide fleet increases.

The agreement is set to cover supply chain management, repairs and the creation of a worldwide pool of aircraft components. The agreement would bring together the expertise of AFI KLM E&M and Airbus, the two parties said.

Both partners would transfer aircraft components assets into a joint pool under the deal, which the parties hope to have operational by the first half of 2024, subject to approval from authorities.

Airbus and Air France noted that there are more than 1,000 A350 aircraft on order and 550 currently in service worldwide.

Boeing, Joramco Partner on P2F Conversions

Boeing has partnered with Jordanian MRO provider Joramco to establish a passenger-to-freighter conversion line at its main base in Amman.

The line will focus on Boeing 737-800 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions at Joramco’s facilities in the Jordanian capital. Joramco says it will be the first MRO supplier in the Middle East to support future Boeing freighter conversions of both domestic and foreign aircraft.

Once established, the operation will support 737-800BCF customers across the Middle East, Europe, North Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

An industry source with knowledge of the deal told Aviation Week on Aug. 22 that a time frame for setting up the conversion line in Amman has not been announced but is expected in the near future. Potential annual throughput at the facility has also not been revealed, “but the target is to have it as a nose-to-tail conversion line,” the source said.

Scandinavian Airlines Selects Magnetic Creative for Seat Modifications

Scandinavian Airlines has tapped Magnetic Group’s design and manufacturing services subsidiary, Magnetic Creative, for an interior modifications project on its Embraer E190 aircraft.

Under the collaboration, Magnetic Creative has obtained a European Union Aviation Safety Agency supplemental type certificate to install an in-seat power supply system. The modification also includes replacing existing passenger seats with new Safran Z110 seats reconfigured in a single-class, 122-passenger, all-economy layout of passenger accommodation.

As part of the project, Magnetic’s team manufactured parts in-house and delivered part kits for the final assembly. According to Magnetic, the Part 21J modification takes two weeks and physical installation takes approximately 18 days.

CONTRACTS

Aeronautical Engineers was selected by the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Serve Air to convert its first Boeing 737-800 to freighter configuration. Commercial Jet is performing modifications in Dothan, Alabama, for redelivery in November.

AJW Group extended its power-by-the-hour deal with Pakistan-based carrier Airblue for five Airbus A320s and five A321s.

Boeing has won a $94 million U.S. Defense Department contract to modernize two Boeing 777-300s in Ardmore, near Oklahoma City, for the Indian government.

Joramco extended its Boeing 737 heavy maintenance deal with Ryanair for five years. It will operate up to six maintenance lines in Amman, Jordan.

Kellstrom Aerospace announced investments and partnerships for parting out CF6-80C2 and CFM56-7B/-5B engines and Boeing 737 and Airbus A321 airframes to expand its USM inventories.

SWISS-AS was chosen by Swiss International Air Lines and Edelweiss Air to provide its AMOSeTL electronic technical log solution for more than 100 aircraft.

TAT Limco won a $7.5 million contract to repair Boeing 747 thermal components for an unidentified European cargo airline.

TGIS Aviation selected Rusada’s Envision fleet management software to support its new line of continuing airworthiness management organization services.

Knafaim Holdings and Nayak Aviation Services are forming a joint venture to provide line maintenance at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The agreement includes a future option to extend the partnership to other airports in Israel.