MRO News Briefs, July 5-11, 2020

United Warns Maintenance Workers of Potential Furloughs
United Airlines has warned 36,000 employees—including 5,500 maintenance workers—that they could be furloughed in October. The airline said job losses could be reduced if enough employees accept buyouts or early retirement.

Optomec Releases Automated Turbine Blade Repair ROI Calculator
Additive manufacturing specialist Optomec has created a new tool to calculate the payback of automated laser cladding equipment for gas turbine MRO to help companies better understand and build a business case for the technology.

ITS Signs PMA Parts Deal With Vogt Aero
Infinity Trading & Solutions (ITS) has expanded its agreement with Vogt Aero to become the exclusive distributor of its line of PMA parts for Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. Vogt’s product line includes FAA-approved cabin replacement parts for galleys, lavatories, smoke detection and an Airbus A320 main ship battery.

Magnetic MRO Completes Finnair Refurbishment Program
Magnetic MRO has completed its interior and exterior refurbishment program for Finnair’s ATR 72 aircraft. Since last spring, the 12 aircraft received full interior refurbishment and maintenance, and 11 received a new livery.

StandardAero Completes Helicopter MRO Consolidation
StandardAero has completed the consolidation of its Helicopter Centers of Excellence to its Winnipeg, Manitoba facility, where all helicopter MRO engine operations will take place moving forward. In addition to restructuring its helicopter MRO program, StandardAero acquired a new test cell supporting Rolls-Royce M250/RR300 helicopter engines.

Flightdocs Merges with ATP Software
Aircraft maintenance software provider Flightdocs has merged with ATP, which provides software for maintenance tracking, flight operations, inventory management, defect analysis and troubleshooting along with technical publications and regulatory content.

Joramco Academy Welcomes MRO Scholarship Recipients
Joramco has announced that its inaugural 24 scholarship recipients, first selected in March, have officially started training at Joramco Academy after delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The MRO says the Academy is employing distance learning methods and online education to maintain safety.

New Passenger-to-Cargo Products Announced
Trip & Co. and SII have announced they have patents pending for new products to transport cargo onboard passenger flights. Trip & Co. says the solutions, which include a cargo seat bag and cargo stowage container, will be delivered with STC approval and it plans to launch more products “on very short notice.”

Sabena Technics Extends ASL Airlines Ireland Contract
Sabena Technics has extended its component support agreement with ASL Airlines Ireland for its fleet of four ATR 42-300Fs and 12 ATR 72-200Fs. Under the contract, Sabena will provide the airline with solutions including full power-by-the-hour support, pool access, and repair and overhaul of rotable components from its Dinard, France site.

AerFin Adds New Board Members
AerFin has added three senior MRO and asset management executives to its board as non-executive directors: Andrew Hoad, former SVP Engineering at Emirates in Dubai; Mike Humphreys, former CEO of FLS Aerospace and EVP component services at SR Technics; and Paul Nolan, former SVP aircraft asset management at DVB Bank SE and fleet development director at Volga-Dnepr Group.