Established in 2001 as the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, Air Astana is seeing growth in its in-house maintenance division as well as its third-party services. The carrier now works with more than 20 third-party airlines.
MRO Capabilities
Air Astana holds EASA Part 145 approval to conduct maintenance up to and including A checks. It also has approval to carry out limited base maintenance activities on its own fleet of Airbus A320s, Boeing 757-200 and 767-300 and Embraer E190. For third parties, it carries out airframe and engine work on A330s, 737-700 and -800, 747-400, 747-8 and soon, the 777F.
Strong Workshop Capabilities
In addition, Air Astana has looked to bolster its workshop capabilities. As of February 2019, it holds capabilities for repairs on aircraft batteries, wheels, brakes, galley equipment, oxygen cylinders, cargo nets, cabin seats, NDT and structures.
Maintenance Facilities
The airline operates two MRO facilities. Its runs a two-bay hangar in Almaty that is able to accommodate two Boeing 757s. In Astana, it operates a technical center with capacity to hold one Boeing 787 or a combination of other aircraft.
New Technologies Are Being Considered
Like many carriers, Air Astana is looking to invest in new technologies to help keep a competitive edge. It is tentatively looking at Wi-Fi capabilities and tablet-based technology for maintenance integration with the existing Trax technical records and planning system.
Talent Spotting
Air Astana recruits most of its talent from local technical colleges. Its expatriate workforce in technical roles is very small, with the majority of its overseas workers in management roles instead.
As Aviation Week's MRO Editor EMEA, James Pozzi covers the latest industry news from the European region and beyond. He also writes in-depth features on the commercial aftermarket for Inside MRO.
