Rolling Daily Updates (January, 2023)

Jan. 27, 2023

Lufthansa Technik Signs Air France APU Deal

Lufthansa Technik has signed a six-year contract with Air France to provide technical support of auxiliary power units (APU) on the airline’s Airbus A350 fleet. Under the deal, it will provide extensive MRO services for Honeywell HGT1700 APUs at its Hamburg site.

RwandAir Picks Iberia Maintenance For Engine MRO

Iberia Maintenance has signed a multi-year exclusive contract with RwandAir to maintain the CFM56-7B and -7BE engines powering its Boeing 737 fleet. It will support the engines from its engine shop in Madrid.

Jan. 26, 2023

AFI KLM E&M Wins Akasa Air Contracts

Indian start-up airline Akasa Air has signed two contracts with AFI KLM E&M and its subsidiary Epcor covering component services and dedicated APU solutions. AFI KLM E&M will provide repair services, access to a spare parts pool, provision of main base kit and dedicated logistical support for components on the airline’s Boeing 737 MAX 8s.

Magnetic MRO Deploys Self-Driving Tech

Magnetic MRO has deployed autonomous vehicles to transport employees and goods between hangars at Tallinn Airport. It says the self-driving electric buses, manufactured by Auve Tech, are more environmentally friendly than previous logistics solutions.

Jan. 25, 2023

Joramco Names New Commercial VP

Joramco has appointed Patrick Armstrong as its new vice president of commercial. Armstrong has more than 10 years of experience in aviation and has spent most of his career working in the Middle East.

AvAir, Sanad Partner On Global Component Exchange Pool

AvAir has signed an agreement with Sanad Group to provide asset management solutions for a variety of Airbus, Boeing and Embraer components. Under the agreement, the companies will create what they say is one of the world’s largest component exchange pools, which will enable AvAir customers to access overhauled and serviceable components.

Jan. 24, 2023

A-Technics To Become Aeroflot Technics

Russian airline Aeroflot announced that its MRO subsidiary, A-Technics, will be renamed Aeroflot Technics. It says the branding change is part of its new model for organizing maintenance in the Aeroflot Group.

Cargolux Signs GE9X Service Agreement

Cargolux has signed a long-term support agreement with GE Aerospace for the GE9X engines powering its fleet of Boeing 777-8 freighters. In addition to GE’s TrueChoice engine maintenance services, the agreement includes the order of two spare engines.

Jan. 23, 2023

Hawaiian Airlines Joins Embry-Riddle SkillBridge Program

Hawaiian Airlines has become a partner of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Aviation Maintenance Technology SkillBridge program to transition service members to civilian careers. The program trains and places transitioning service members into MRO careers with its industry partners. Hawaiian Airlines is looking to recruit for hundreds of positions to support its upcoming growth phase.

AIM MRO Acquires Tribologix

AIM MRO Holdings, a manufacturer and supply chain manager for aerospace industry consumable repair products and materials, has acquired Tribologix, a provider of engineered surface coatings solutions. The acquisition is AIM MRO’s first since becoming a portfolio of private equity firm AE Industrial Partners.

Jan. 20, 2023

Vortex Aircraft Services Selects Beacon

U.S.-based AOG specialist Vortex Aircraft Services has signed a contract with Embraer for the use of its Beacon maintenance coordination platform. Vortex says it will use Beacon to enhance maintenance coordination, simplify communication, increase productivity and efficiency, improve knowledge exchange and streamline workflows.

Rusada Opens Toronto Office

Aviation maintenance software provider Rusada has opened a new office in Toronto to support customers and business development in North America. Rusada already operates an office in Boulder, Colorado.

Jan. 19, 2023

Southwest Technicians Reach Tentative Agreement

Southwest Airlines has reached a tentative agreement with its facility maintenance technicians, which are represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association. The five-year agreement includes wage and benefit improvements, including pay increases, increased license premiums and increased flexible scheduling.

Schroth Gets UK Part 145 Approval

Schroth Safety Products, which provides maintenance and repair services for aircraft passenger seatbelts, crew restraint systems and safety equipment, has received Part 145 certification from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Jan. 18, 2023

FEAM Awarded FAA SMS Acceptance

FEAM Aero’s safety management system has received acceptance from the FAA under its SMS Voluntary Program. FEAM says the acceptance will help it increase safety efforts with “proactive and predictive methods.”

LHT Takes Ownership Of Swiss-AviationSoftware

Swiss International Airlines has transferred ownership of subsidiary Swiss AviationSoftware to Lufthansa Technik (LHT), which is incorporating the software into what it calls its “Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem” that also includes Aviatar and flydocs. LHT says the three entities will remain independent but will collaborate to provide software coverage across technical operations.

Jan. 17, 2023

AvSight Gets Growth Equity Boost

MRO software provider AvSight has received $20 million in growth equity investment from Arcadea Group. AvSight says it will use the investment to accelerate its product roadmap and bolster services, delivery and customer service. AvSight’s leadership will continue their roles while maintaining significant equity interests in the business.

Collins, China Southern Expand Avionics Agreement

Collins Aerospace has signed an air materials support service agreement with China Southern, which expands its existing DispatchSM flight hour support agreement for avionics onboard the airline’s Boeing 787 fleet. The agreement includes maintenance, on-site spares, access to global asset pools and technical assistance for Collins-manufactured avionics.

Jan. 13, 2023

Alaska Airlines Plans Hiring Spree

Alaska Airlines announced plans to hire more than 3,500 new employees in 2023, including 135 maintenance technicians. It says most of the new jobs will be based at its hubs in Seattle and Portland, as well as locations throughout the West Coast.

Kenya Airways Explains MRO Supply Chain Woes

Kenya Airways released a statement attributing its recent flight disruptions on scheduled maintenance delays due to challenges with the supply of aircraft components. It highlighted the Ukraine war and the labor shortages in Europe and North America as contributing factors to global supply chain issues.

Jan. 12, 2023

Sabena Technics Launches New Subsidiary

Sabena Technics is launching a new subsidiary, Sabena Technics BGC, which will integrate the activities previously operated within Aeroconseil Akkodis, including fleet management and CAMO, powerplant and APU borescope, aircraft modifications, and flight ops and operations control center. Sabena Technics BGC is headquartered in Blagnac, France with a staff of nearly 200 based in France, Singapore, Dubai and Montreal.

New AAR Chairman Of The Board

AAR President and CEO John Holmes has been named chairman of the board of directors following the retirement of David Storch, who served as chairman for 18 years. Holmes will continue as president and CEO.

Jan. 11, 2023

AirBaltic Plans Starlink Installations

AirBaltic has announced plans to equip its entire Airbus A220-300 fleet with SpaceX’s Starlink internet connectivity system. The airline will work with SpaceX to achieve the required supplemental type certification approval and plans to begin installations this year.

New StandardAero CFO

StandardAero has appointed Dan Satterfield as its new chief financial officer (CFO). Satterfield previously served as CFO for Honeywell Aerospace. He replaces Mike Scott, who is retiring after 33 years at StandardAero.

Jan. 10, 2023

HK Express, Iberia Maintenance Agree to V2500 MRO Terms

Iberia Maintenance has signed a long-term contract with low-cost carrier HK Express to maintain 32 V2500 engines powering the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A320ceo and A321ceo aircraft.

Gulf Air Renews flydocs Contract

Gulf Air has renewed its contract with flydoc for digital records management software by another five years. Gulf Air CEO Waleed AlAlawi says the software is driving cost and operational efficiencies.

Jan. 9, 2023

AvAir Selected As Honeywell APU Distributor

Honeywell Aerospace has selected AvAir as an exclusive distributor of its 85- and 95-series auxiliary power units, which power Boeing 737-CL, and Lockheed C-130 and P-3 aircraft. The deal includes spares for commercial and defense applications.

Emirates Completes First A380 Retrofit

Emirates has finished refurbishment of its first Airbus A380 under its $2 billion retrofit program, which began in mid-2022. It plans to completely retrofit passenger cabins of 120 aircraft by April 2025, including 67 A380s and 53 Boeing 777s. The next A380 is expected to be completed by the end of January.

Jan. 6, 2023

Piedmont Plans New AMT Certification Program

Piedmont Airlines has partnered with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to establish an aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) certification program. Piedmont says the program is a key step in its workforce development efforts. It will be managed and operated by the university and housed in part of Piedmont’s space at the Salisbury-Ocean City: Wicomico Regional Airport.

Pulse Aviation Selects Beacon

Business aviation MRO Pulse Aviation has signed a contract with Embraer-X to use its Beacon maintenance coordination platform. Pulse Aviation CEO Daniel Rios says Beacon will support “more collaborative and efficient maintenance dynamics.”

Jan. 5, 2023

WestJet Encore Signs De Havilland Component MRO Agreement

WestJet Encore has signed a De Havilland Component Solutions Program agreement, under which the OEM will manage component MRO services for the airline’s fleet of Dash 8-400 aircraft. De Havilland will also provide WestJet Encore with access to its strategically located exchange pool.

Texel Air Selects Rusada Envision

Cargo carrier Texel Air has selected Rusada’s Envision software to manage airworthiness and maintenance operations for its fleet of Boeing 737 freighters. Rusada’s in-house team of implementation specialists will handle deployment of the software.

Jan. 4, 2023

AeroSHARK Gets 777 STC Approval

Lufthansa Technik (LHT) and BASF’s drag-reducing AeroSHARK riblet film product has been granted a supplemental type certificate by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The companies say the certification paves the way for series modification of Boeing 777-300ER and 777F aircraft.

Austrian Technik Seeks Mechatronics Apprentices

Austrian Technik announced it is recruiting 24 new mechatronics apprentices to train at its Vienna Airport workshop for autumn 2023. During the 3.5 year-long training, the apprentices will receive on-the-job training in its specialist workshops and in aircraft maintenance, subject-specific Category A training and theoretical training.

Jan. 3, 2023

GA Telesis Adds GEnx Nacelle Capabilities

GA Telesis’s MRO Services Composites Repair Group has added new capabilities to overhaul and repair nacelles for GEnx engines. It will offer the services from its composite repair facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Embraer Lands New Heavy Maintenance Contracts

Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services has signed two heavy maintenance contracts with Envoy Air and JSX, which it says total $72 million. It will perform airframe maintenance and repair services for the companies from its Macon, Georgia facility.