Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc has signed a Global Maintenance Agreement (GMA) with ATR for the airline's new fleet of ATR '-600' aircraft.

Codeshare partners Etihad Airways and Air New Zealand have signed a wide-ranging agreement to provide reciprocal line maintenance services in Melbourne, Australia, and Los Angeles in the USA.

Emirates Airline is in talks with Airbus Group NV and Rolls-Royce Holdings to create a more fuel-efficient version of the A380 superjumbo, reports The Wall Street Journal.

At a special ceremony Flydubai and CFM International celebrated the airline's achievement of 500,000 engine flight hours with its fleet of CFM56-7B engines.

Fresh from a sizable win for its airline supply chain business, AAR is eyeing an international acquisition that would further boost the segment, CEO David Storch says. Speaking to analysts during a Dec. 19 earnings call, Storch confirmed that Wood Dale, Ill.-based AAR is “looking at a fairly sizable deal that would expand our presence” outside the U.S. The deal would likely be an all-cash transaction, he adds, offering few additional details.

Africa •Engine MRO expenditures are projected to be more than $800 million. •The continent's total fleet will decrease by six aircraft. Asia-Pacific •The region—excluding China and India—will generate $1 billion of spending on modifications, about one-fourth of the global modification market. •Excluding China and India, the region's fleet will increase 13%. China •Chinese operators will spend $1 billion on component MRO.

OEMs entrench further into the aftermarket as independents innovate with engineering, partnerships and mobility. Lessors & Life Cycles Lessors continue their evolution toward offering services throughout aircraft and engine life cycles by partnering with MRO providers, part-out specialists and others offering synergistic solutions. Supplier Innovation

The digital revolution first put maintenance data online, saving paper and major hassles. Then laptops brought data to techs, saving walking time to desktops and kiosks. Smartphones, handhelds and tablets are starting to cut weight from techs' bags and shoulders. What's next?