NEXA Capital’s NextGen fund, set up to help U.S. airlines pay for upgrades that will reap benefits from FAA’s satellite-based air traffic management (ATM) system, is in advanced talks with three airlines and expects to announce at least one customer by mid-year, says NEXA Capital Partners Managing Director and CEO Michael Dyment.

Delta TechOps, long acknowledged as a key part of parent Delta Air Lines’ vast revenue-diversification strategy, plays an equally important role in helping the airline keep costs down, airline CEO Richard Anderson emphasizes. Speaking at MRO Americas in the shadow of the carrier’s Atlanta headquarters, Anderson revealed that the airline’s engine MRO prowess means the carrier’s pool of spare engines totals just 5% of its on-wing fleet—about half of what an engine OEM recommends.

Airlines can save significantly by mining the parts aftermarket, and the avenues that beget those savings just keep getting wider.

Is slowly nearing issuance of airworthiness directive

For independent aviation MRO providers, the world is shrinking

No Fault Founds (NFFs) occur when parts appear faulty on an aircraft or in a line check, but test as fault-free in the shop. They are a frustrating waste of money and effort because although they appear to be benign, they still must be vetted. Reducing NFFs remains tough to accomplish. As old causes are discovered and resolved, new challenges arise, for example in increasingly complex avionics software.

Blowing sand in the Middle East and high levels of airborne particulate matter from industrial pollution in Asia are parts of the impetus behind a new generation of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) designed to better protect engine components and withstand corrosive elements. TBC corrosion is becoming a growing issue, specifically attributable to the build-up of calcium magnesium aluminosilicates (CMAS).

As more nacelles are made of composites, their repair market is becoming quite diverse. “Fleet transitions are adding complexity, failure modes vary as aircraft age, and operators are customizing work scopes to fit their needs,” says Meredith Siegfried, CEO of Nordam, a major nacelle OEM and repair specialist. Siegfried says most of today's nacelle work stems from mature aircraft, which generally employ comparable technologies and materials, so today's primary focus is on doing the work faster and cheaper.