TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil has been certified by Boeing as an approved repair station. The first contract under the certification is the inspection, repair and overhaul of the Boeing 777 landing gear axles, achieved through a Boeing service bulletin to be incorporated by airlines that fly the aircraft type. To obtain the distinction, the MRO participated in an international bidding contest and underwent an audit process. TAP M&E Brazil also completed heavy checks on an Air Transat Airbus A330-200 at its Porto Alegre Base.

Snecma Morocco Engine Services (SMES) has been certified by EASA and the FAA to carry out MRO services on the CFM International CFM56-5B engine. SMES is a jointly owned subsidiary of Snecma.

AFRA promotes environmental best practices, sustainable aircraft disassembly and aircraft parts and materials recycling. www.afraassociation.org

When an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER completed a Los Angeles-Auckland flight in December, it was the first time an airline operated under 240-minute extended operations (ETOPS). But the new 240-minute limit is no longer the edge of the envelope, as a 330 minute time is now poised to become the new ETOPS gold standard. That's because in November Boeing received type design authority from the FAA to offer a 330-minute ETOPS “option” on the GE90-powered 777 family.

Chromalloy's Windsor, Conn. engine component repair station received an approved organization exposition certification from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The certificate allows the Chromalloy turbine repair station to provide component repairs, including FAA approved designated engineering representative repairs for All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines.

Goodrich and Hawaiian Airlines have signed an extensive to its existing Prime Solutions nacelle maintenance agreement to support the airline's fleet of 18 Boeing 717-200 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce BR715 engines. The existing nacelle flight hour agreement provides MRO services, management of spare parts, rotables and dedicated Goodrich technical support. The extension will increase Goodrich's existing support to include three aircraft that Hawaiian Airlines introduced into its fleet beginning in October.

What do you see as the greatest possibilities for ST Aerospace this year in the civil market? Are there particular regions that should provide more growth?

The A380 has only been in service for five years, but it has clearly received much more coverage regarding technical failures than Airbus would have wished.