TAP M&E Brasil completed a C check of a WhiteJets Airbus A320 aircraft, two days in advance of the contract turnaround time. The services were performed at the MRO's Porto Alegre maintenance base. Engines
Jet Midwest Technik signed a multi-aircraft contact with a foreign airline to perform C checks, painting and other maintenance on MD-80 aircraft at its Kansas City maintenance base. Jet Midwest continues to add heavy maintenance and modification capabilities for MD-80 and all series of Boeing 737 aircraft.
Optimized Systems and Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rolls-Royce, has signed a contract with flydubai to support the airline's fuel conservation initiatives and to assist in European Union emissions monitoring, reporting and verification. This is the first time that flydubai has implemented a fuel management system.
What are your priorities for 2012? Wisbrun: We want to get Skyteam to the next level of execution. In 2008 it was decided that a central function should be introduced. I took over six months ago, and my key target is now to drive the membership into more collaboration to get more synergies out of it. The focus is more on getting things done than growing the network. We want to be more focused on customer benefits.
By Dr. Stefan Weingartner, President, Commercial Maintenance, MTU Aero Engines
The commercial engine maintenance market is in a state of flux. There are new materials, new technologies and increased outsourcing by airlines. This transformation is set to continue for many years. Known market parameters are losing significance as new ones appear.
FindanIA.com Inc. has launched a new web site, www.FindanIA.com. The global website is dedicated to helping aircraft owners, aircraft maintenance facilities and technicians find FAA certified airframe and powerplant maintenance technicians with inspections authorizations. The site's parent company also specializes in placing contract FAA certified inspection authorities oversees at FAA repair stations.
Component Control has announced that Aero-Parts Connections, a supplier of safety and emergency equipment, has begun to use its Quantum MRO and Logistics software to support its new sister company, Aviation Inflatables. Both Aero-Parts Connections and Aviation Inflatables will use the Quantum software to fulfill contracts with Delta Airlines.
Precision Conversions has successfully re-delivered the third full 15 cargo position Boeing 757-200PCF freighter to Cargo Aircraft Management, a wholly owned leasing subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group. The aircraft was previously operated by United Airlines as a passenger aircraft and powered with Pratt & Whitney engines. The aircraft will be leased by Cargo Aircraft Management to Capital Cargo International Airlines. Flightstar Aircraft Services in Jacksonville, Fla. accomplished the conversion.
The availability of instructions for continued airworthiness (ICA) has pitted manufacturers against repair stations for years. Repair stations have pushed for greater access to ICAs, while manufacturers have carefully guarded what they deem to be proprietary information that they developed at great cost.
The latest news on FAA's NextGen air traffic control system is hopeful but worrisome. Progress has been made, conceptually and practically. The equipment for future ATC techniques is not terribly expensive but must be funded by many airlines and some governments that are themselves financially weak.
TeamSAI promoted David Marcontell to president and COO for TeamSAI. Marcontell will oversee operations for the firm's three wholly owned subsidiary units, including TeamSAI Consulting Services, Team SAI M&E Solutions and TeamSAI MRO Data Services. Marcontell has been president of TeamSAI M&E Solutions since it was created in 2009. Airframes
The Boeing 787, which entered service in September, is considered a fully e-enabled aircraft, generating and capturing more data than any airplane in Boeing's history. With millions of lines of code, and onboard computer servers connecting to airplane systems via fiber optics and ethernet, “it's like a computer with wings bolted on,” said one of our customers.
The narrowbody airframe MRO market continues to show signs of recovery from the worst points of the economic downturn, when even relatively young aircraft were parked to defray operational expenses and defer maintenance costs. The narrowbody airframe MRO market value grew slightly less in 2011 (which exhibited a rate of 0.6%) than it did in 2010, when market value increased by 1.4%. However, it continues the generally positive reversal from the same 12-month period in 2009–10, when the market value for narrowbody airframe MRO services contracted by 12.6%.
American Airlines' named James Ream senior VP-operations in addition to his current role as VP-maintenance and engineering. He was president and CEO of Express Jet Airlines and before that COO of Continental Express Airlines.
Prime Turbines hired John O'Brien as sales and service manager responsible for growing sales of Pratt & Whitney PT6A repair and overhaul services in Canada.
The International Federation of Airworthiness awarded its Whittle Safety Award to Dr. William Johnson, chief scientific and technical advisor for human factors in aviation maintenance for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The federation cites Dr. Johnson's experience working with labor, management, industry consortiums and government to impact training and procedures for maintenance human factors.
MRO Prospector predicts the GE90 will only generate 157 engine overhauls this year, but less than 15% of the -115B fleet has experienced a shop visit. This compares to the GE90-94B—all of which have gone in for a visit, says Steve Shaknaitis, GE90 MRO leader. He says a typical first run is 25,000-35,000 hours, and “GE provides MRO services and support to about 70% of the GE90 fleet.”
Narrowbody airframe MRO accounts just over $25 million, or 54% of the total airframe MRO market that is worth an estimated $8.8 billion, based on TeamSAI November 2011 figures. And airframe services make up about 19% of all MRO work on narrowbody aircraft.
In September, IATA projected European airlines would deliver a meek collective profit of $300 million next year, but that outlook is likely to be worse now.
Engine maintenance, repair and overhaul will outpace the total commercial aviation MRO market growth this year, largely because engine events are more expensive. The main driver is “engine parts [that] continue to get marked up at a rate exceeding CPI on an annual basis, often in the 5-7% range in terms of annual increases,” says David Marcontell, TeamSAI president and COO. Material expenses represent 70-80% of total engine MRO costs, so this obviously impacts the engine aftermarket value.
Eliminating duplicated maintenance required by different regulatory agencies could take out billions of dollars of maintenance and engineering work on leased aircraft when they transfer across borders. Given that 40% of the world's commercial aircraft fleet is leased, and that figure continues to climb, these costs if not corrected will grow with the expanding fleet.
Sabena Technics appointed Jacques Bernardi as EVP component services within the group's executive committee. He began his aviation career in 1986 with UTA and has since worked for Air France Industries, Air Liberté, EADS Sogerma Services and Goodrich Actuation Systems.
Miguel Uribe, CEO, AeroMexico MRO We have announced a joint venture with Delta regarding MRO business. This JV will allow significant growth while maintaining the high quality airframe work that Aeromexico MRO is providing to its major clients: Delta for MD-80s, AeroMexico for Boeing 737s and AeroMexico Connect's Embraer ERJ-145.
