ATS took delivery of an Airbus A321 for teardown on Dec. 16. The aircraft, formerly operated by Air Busan in South Korea, arrived at ATS’s heavy maintenance facility in Kansas City, Missouri.
The MRO will teardown the aircraft and its IAE V2500 engines and then place targeted removal parts at its component shops in Dallas-Ft. Worth and Everett, Washington for repair.
The company did not disclose how much it paid for the A321 or how long it will take to disassemble the aircraft and engines.
“The A321 acquisition is part of our comprehensive plan to provide customers cost saving, turntime and operational efficiency improvements as they progress through their pandemic recovery strategies,” says Brian Olsen, ATS president of component and engineering solutions.
He says the company’s Ranger Asset Management division “has experienced an uptick in component sales activity since early October 2020, inferring that in some cases airline part stock levels are being depleted,” he says.
However, as a whole, he says ATS’s backlog “remains steady” so airlines haven’t “returned to proactive procurement.”
Asked if it plans to acquire any other aircraft for part out, Olsen said ATS is “reviewing other assets.”
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