Highlights

Airbus-led Digital Alliance Lands SAS As Launch Customer

SAS Scandinavian Airlines will be the launch customer of a product developed by the Airbus-led Digital Alliance venture that targets predictive maintenance and other data-driven operational efficiency processes, signing up for the partnership’s Skywise Predictive Maintenance Alliance (SPMA) offering.

The deal, announced at Aviation Week’s MRO Americas, will see SAS use the product to track parameters from various components on its Airbus A320-family fleet.

The airline’s primary goals include providing its operations center team with more visibility into each aircraft’s maintenance status.

The SAS deal gives the partnership its first customer for its debut product less than a year after the current, three-member alliance was established.

GAMECO Begins Its First Boeing 767-300BCF Conversion

Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co. (GAMECO) has cut its first Boeing 767-300BCF cargo door, while Chinese-owned lessor CDB Aviation has separately taken delivery of its first freighter.

GAMECO announced the on-schedule door cutting on April 24, following its recent opening of China’s first 767-300BCF conversion line. The 767 capability builds on GAMECO’s experience with the 737-800BCF, for which the company already has three conversion lines in operation. A second 767 line will be opened at the same site before the end of 2022 to help meet strong market demand for freighter conversions.

Meanwhile, CDB Aviation announced the receipt of its first-ever freighter on April 25. CDB took delivery of the Airbus A330-300 passenger-to-freighter (A330 P2F) conversion from Elbe Flugzeugwerke’s Dresden, Germany, facility.

STS Aviation Services To Open Manchester Facility

STS Aviation Services has agreed to a deal to lease a base maintenance facility in Manchester, England, and will commence operations at the site in October.

The facility has a volume area of around 140,000 ft.² and has capacity for multiple lines of maintenance, according to STS. The facility was formerly operated by Thomas Cook before it liquidated, but STS would not verify this.

Once in operation, U.S.-headquartered STS will look to add new job roles with immediate effect. CEO Mick Adams says STS plans to introduce more than 100 jobs in Manchester in the coming months, plus an additional 100 jobs in 2023. It also plans to launch new trainee and apprenticeship programs. 

Contracts

Caerdav has won a Ryanair contract to provide two lines of Boeing 737 heavy maintenance at Cardiff, Wales, during the winter season.

Delta TechOps has extended a deal with Pratt & Whitney to provide more offload support for PW2000s and PW4000-94s.

Embraer has booked a launch order from Nordic Aviation Capital for up to 10 E190/E195 passenger-to-freighter conversions, with first deliveries starting in 2024.

FL Technics has selected B&H Worldwide to manage its aircraft parts storage in Frankfurt.

Embraer has selected Fokker Services as a partner to maintain E-Jet engine line replaceable units in its pool program.

Iberia Maintenance has won a 5.5-year Volotea contract to provide Airbus A320 heavy maintenance out of Madrid and Barcelona.

Next Level Aviation has signed a multi-year used serviceable material consignment agreement with Aero Engine Solutions for CFM56 accessories.

Qantas has selected Rolls-Royce to provide TotalCare services for Trent XWB-97s for 12 Airbus A350-1000s on order.

ST Engineering has a memorandum of understanding from United Airlines to extend its narrowbody heavy maintenance program to its new facility being built at Pensacola, Florida, which is scheduled to open in 2024. It currently supports United A320-family aircraft at Mobile, Alabama.

STS Aviation Services won a Ryanair contract to provide two lines of Boeing 737 heavy maintenance at Birmingham, England, during winter season.