StandardAero signed an agreement with Danish operator Cimber Sterling for CFM56-7B engine maintenance. The work is being performed at StandardAero's center in Winnipeg, Canada. StandardAero also signed a long term agreement with NordStar Airlines' parent company, Taimyr Airlines, for engine maintenance on NordStar's fleet of new ATR 42-500 aircraft. Avionics/IFE

ST Aerospace appointed Ron Soret to general manager of completions to lead a team of industry experts for its new VIP interior brand, Aeria Luxury Interiors. Soret is a 30 year veteran of the aerospace industry. Airframes

Pratt & Whitney Canada signed an engine fleet enhancement program agreement with Air New Zealand. The program allows an airline to exchange a time-expired core engine for a new engine, and Air New Zealand will use the agreement to install more than 60 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67D and PW127M engines on Beech 1900D and ATR72-500 aircraft. The aircraft are part of the fleets operated by Air New Zealand's regional subsidiaries Eagle Airways and Mount Cook Airline.

SR Technics received production organization approval from the Swiss Federal Office For Civil Aviation for aircraft interior design. The MRO does design and engineering work at its VIP Completion Center in Zurich and the first aircraft to undergo SR Technics' VIP interior modifications arrived there in the third quarter. SR Technics says 130 employees have been trained on how to implement the new VIP product.

Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co.'s landing gear overhaul facility Taikoo (Xiamen) Landing Gear Services Co. (Talsco) signed a contract with China Airlines for the overhaul of 17 ship sets of Boeing 747-400 landing gears. Talsco will provide China Airlines with technical support, including rotable assets supply, on-gear installation, AOG support, configuration analysis, fleet analysis and inspection.

The pricing of aircraft parts depends on inflation, productivity improvements in manufacturing, part quality enhancements and the balance between supply and demand. Prices to individual purchasers depend on the competition they face and the strategic choices they employ.

In early January, a retired engineer named Roger Boisjoly passed away. The name is probably unfamiliar, but you might remember his role in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. The night before the Jan. 28, 1986 launch, Boisjoly argued late into the night against launching, insisting the unusually cold temperatures would cause the O-rings to fail. Unfortunately, he was up against the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), a man who had made it clear that under no circumstance would MSFC be the cause of a launch delay.

An AOG due to a faulty engine can be the worst and most expensive nightmare maintenance faces. A grounded aircraft can cost an airline tens of thousands of dollars per day in lost revenue. MROs and leasing firms will scramble to provide help, but existing relationships count strongly in how fast assistance arrives.