While fuel burn grabs the big headlines in the battle for market share between the mid-thrust engine makers, it is more often maintenance cost which becomes the real acid test when it comes to decision time.
AireXport Technics is the creator of AOG Onsite, a solution that allows on-site mechanics and engineers instantly to establish secure, real-time video and advanced audio communications with technical support specialists (such as aircraft maintenance controllers, avionics tech and OEM support centers) to resolve AOG situations quickly. O&M: What are some of the trends you are seeing in the AOG business today?
Component Control has announced that Hansair Logistics Group is using its Quantum Control product to manage its three global aviation supply businesses: Hansair Logistics, Hansair Engine group and Hypercoat Enterprises PTE. The three companies distribute consumable and expendable aviation products through a network of 19 offices and warehouses around the world, supporting major airlines and regional carriers. It is using Component Control's MRO and logistics software solution to manage sales, inventory management and tracking, business reporting and accounting.
Kelowna Flightcraft operates heavy maintenance facilities in Kelowna, B.C., Canada and Hamilton, Ont., Canada. Kelowna is a preferred vendor for Aviation Partners Boeing winglets and undertook the task of installing the prototype winglets for the Boeing 757-300. Overall, Kelowna has installed more than 70 sets of both Aviation Partners and Quiet Wing winglets and specializes in installing winglets on both provisioned and non-provisioned aircraft.
Harmonization of aviation regulations bring increased efficiency for the industry as a whole. It also means increased scrutiny from foreign governments. Case in point: The European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) prominent place in a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on composite airplane safety, released to the public just days before All Nippon Airways put the Boeing 787 into service.
Ametek Ameron (dba Mass Systems) reissued STCs to replace Kidde fire extinguisher and Pacific Scientific fire extinguisher cartridges in fire extinguisher bottles on various transport category aircraft, including ATR, Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Eurocopter, Fokker, Lockheed Martin, McDonnell Douglas and Saab aircraft, STCs ST00952LA and ST00885LA
Eznis Airways selected Swiss-AS' Amos software system as its new MRO software package and launched its implementation in Mongolia. The introduction of the software coincides with the phasing in of two BAE Systems Avro RJ85 aircraft and moving into a new hangar. The software will help Eznis consolidate its maintenance process and develop its in-house maintenance capabilities, with the ultimate goal of performing in-house C checks in two years.
Arinc Managed Services has opened a new headquarters in Annapolis, Md. The wholly owned subsidiary of Arinc, Inc. provides 24-hr. maintenance and support for airline check-in systems and technologies.
Bombardier announced at MRO Asia that it has extended its repair capability for the Trent 700 inlet cowl to Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO), which will join Belfast and Dallas MRO facilities in offering the repair. The work will take place at HAECO's component and avionics overhaul center in Tseung Kwan O, near Hong Kong International Airport. Bombardier is the OEM of the Trent 700 inlet cowl.
As airlines get ready for new electronic aircraft like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, MRO managers face another digital challenge. How do they bring older birds up to even the current standards for health monitoring data set by the Airbus A320 and Boeing 777? There are nuggets of financial and downtime savings in making these senior jets talk better, but mining that ore is not easy.
Nok Air has finalized a deal appointing Lufthansa Technik as its heavy maintenance service provider for its ATR 72s and Boeing 737-800s. The Thai low-cost carrier is due to start operating its first 737-800 in November, but that aircraft first went in for a heavy check on Oct. 26 with Lufthansa Technik, says Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin. The airline operates 10 Boeing 737-400s but is replacing these with 737-800s. It has secured six 737-800s so far, from a mix of lessors, and the carrier plans to ask its board for approval to lease five more, Patee says.
ST Aerospace Technologies (Xiamen) Co. Ltd. (STATCO) has opened a facility in Xiamen, China, that will overhaul and repair the CFM International CFM56-7B and -5B series engines that power the Boeing 737NG and Airbus A320 aircraft, respectively. The new joint venture facility has the capacity to handle 300 engines per year.
Partsbase has grown its online community to 39,000 end users and more than 95 million line items. It is hoping to grow those numbers even more by integrating one-of-a-kind social media tools into its parts locator software. PartsBase has been working with hundreds of users to determine the type of rating system for buyers and sellers, and it plans to incorporate “like” and “dislike” features inspired by Facebook on its PartsBase.com platform. Joint Ventures/Acquisitions
Although the sidewalls, overhead bins and passenger service units of an aircraft appear to be made of the same material, each different part of the cabin interior is treated with a specialized chemical, depending on its function.
Boeing is speaking to potential customers about a future program for Boeing 777 passenger-to-freighter conversions, but when this program will be launched depends on 777 residual values coming down. Senior VP-Commercial Aviation Services Lou Mancini declines comment on when the 777 freighter conversion program will launch, but says, generally, there is a 20-year rule governing when it becomes suitable to make a freighter conversion program available.
SINGAPORE—Bombardier plans to boost its presence in Asia-Pacific, a move that comes after arch-rival ATR came perilously close to locking Bombardier out of the region's fast-growing turboprop market. At the same time, ATR plans to establish a global MRO network, similar to what Airbus, another EADS company, has done. ATR in recent years has won the lion's share of new orders for turboprops.
Xtreme Polishing Systems' Xtreme Skinny used diamond concrete polishing pads at AAR's Miami facility to achieve the floor's wet and shiny finish. The pads are color-coded for abrasion identification and come in grits from 50 to 3000. The pads are attached to a polisher or grinder during the floor restoration project. The pads polish 10,000 to 15,000 sq. ft. www.xtremepolishingsystems.com
The NNS Champ 2929 ride-on scrubber has a 36-volt electrical system that delivers up to 30% more run time than a comparable 24-volt machine. The machine can lift 60 in. of water, runs on six batteries and features a single front-drive wheel that turns 90 degrees. The scrubber comes with two pad drivers and an on-board battery charger. www.nns.com
New regional links are forming. For example, a Qatari delegation visited Egyptair Maintenance & Engineering earlier this year to see the facilities and discuss collaboration. Says Marketing and Customer Service Director Engineer Sayed Anwar, “With Qatar, there still are in negotiations at the top management level.” He adds that the carrier also is negotiating “with more than one significant partner.”
The Middle East aircraft maintenance market has commanded much growth and development in the past decade, driven largely by the success of Dubai International Airport and other hubs. Market-watchers expect the expansion of air traffic volume and fleet sizes in the region to continue, and MRO along with them. By 2015, the UAE will have more commercial aircraft than Japan, now the world's third-largest economy, says Bill Lay, PricewaterhouseCoopers' Dubai-based partner.
The Air Transport Association's Engineering, Maintenance, and Materiel Council (EMMC) has appointed Jon Oberdick as its new chairman. Oberdick, US Airways' managing director of technical services, was elected Oct. 12 during the quarterly EMMC meeting.
Lufthansa Technik Sofia has signed a 10-year contract with Russian operator Air Tatarstan to provide heavy maintenance for its fleet of Airbus A319 and Boeing 737 Classic aircraft. The maintenance agreement will cover light C check and heavy D check maintenance visits at Lufthansa Technik's hangar in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Qantas says industrial action by its unions have hurt its maintenance operations so much that had to ground five aircraft and cut flights at O&M's presstime. The carrier says the flight and fleet reductions will remain in place for a month. The grounded aircraft will be four of its 54 Boeing 737s and one of its 25 767s. This will result in 97 flights being cut. The reductions will only apply to mainline operations, and not subsidiaries Jetstar, Jetconnect or QantasLink.
