Etihad Airways has put forth 125 maintenance and engineering personnel to participate in Air BP Lubricant's online training academy. This is the largest commitment to the training academy by a single airline. Etihad Airways started using Air BP Lubricant's BPTO 2197 lubricant in 2009 and it says it has reduced the number of oil degradation and coking events to zero with the program. The training tool has a suite of eight modules with different questions on topics such as specifications, servicing and storage.

For years, the supply chain was looked upon as a necessary evil. Manufacturing, warehousing and transportation were part of the cost of doing business, not what drove a company forward. That is no longer the case. Every organization in every industry, including the aviation aftermarket, is challenged to do whatever it is they do better, faster and cheaper. Supply chains are no longer just overhead—the best companies view them as a competitive advantage.

A robust and growing market exists for scheduled maintenance on Boeing's 747 family, and while overall reliability is high, the next few years also promise some significant new work as airworthiness directives come close to being finalized this year. Boeing's 747-400 aircraft fleet—passenger and freighter combined—is expected to generate nearly $1.5 billion worth of heavy maintenance visits and C checks during the next three years, $464 million during the next 12 months alone.

JDA Aviation Technology Solutions will hold its regulatory affairs training course on Feb. 14 and 15, 2012, at the American Airlines Training and Conference Center in Ft. Worth, Texas. The course will focus on expanding FAA regulatory affairs knowledge and it will be led by former career FAA managers, principal inspectors and legal counsel.

Swiss-AS is now providing its MRO software package Amos to Brussels Airlines. The carrier's project team plans to turn off its legacy system environment within 10 months to a year after working through the transition to the new software. The Belgian airline is using a third-party service provider, CrossConsense, to oversee data transfer so that it can focus on establishing new and adjusted processes in the technical division. Brussels' fleet consists of 51 aircraft, including Avro RJ85/100s, Airbus A319s, A320s, A330s and Boeing 737s.

Turkish Technik has signed an agreement with Air Bishkek for wheels and tire services on carbon brake units for the carrier's Airbus A320 fleet. Turkish Technik also overhauled one set of Airbus A320 landing gear for the airline. Turkish Technik supported Air Bishkek with its spare units during these shop visits.

As Congress and the White House posture at the beginning of the annual budget season, the Federal Aviation Administration faces a stark reality: major budget cuts. The failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also called the Super Committee, to reach agreement on a $1.2 million deficit-reduction package sets in motion automatic across-the-board cuts government-wide, a process called “sequestration.”

The quest for seamless service reaches into the cabin as carriers look at regional jet upgrades.