With Chinese domestic flights now running at or above year-ago levels, and international flights at about 40% of year-ago levels, Chinese MROs are not facing the severe shortage or work (and revenue) that other MROs are.

Major Chinese MROs are thus able to advance in their capabilities. For example, Ameco recently finished two novel projects, a highly demanding aircraft painting assignment and an important expansion of its major component capabilities.

Ameco completed painting of Air China’s special Winter Olympic aircraft. The special livery required primer spraying, white-paint spraying, positioning of the Olympic mascot and logo film, gradient color spraying, spraying of other signs and varnish spraying.

The first challenge was the film sticking of two mascots. The two mascot patterns are composed of nearly 40 pieces of template, uniquely difficult in aircraft painting, and the positions of these patterns are on the hyperbolic skin of the rear fuselage. This required mechanics to develop a superb film-sticking process.

The second challenge was the gradual change of the blue paint on the rear fuselage, which required an extremely high level of process control and painting skill.

Ameco engineers discussed the characteristics of the gradual change, and formulated a detailed painting scheme. More than ten different color transition paints were used in different areas.

In another milestone, Ameco has completed its first repair of a shipset of Boeing 777-300ER landing gear for Air China. Previously, Ameco had done landing gear overhauls for Boeing 737CLs, 737NGs, 747s, Airbus A330s, and the A320 series.

Ameco developed its 777 landing gear overhaul capabilities in careful steps: document application, manual study, job-card writing, personnel training, and so forth. The MRO had earlier obtained maintenance approvals for 777 overhauls of from CAAC, FAA and EASA. 

With successful repair of its first Boeing 777-300ER landing gear, Ameco landing gear products are more diversified, and these products will be offered to third-party carriers as well as co-owner Air China.