TAM MRO, TAM Airlines' MRO unit has received EASA accreditation for line maintenance services of Airbus A3330-200 and A330-300 aircraft. TAM MRO will conduct the repairs in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and Fortaleza. The accreditation will cover ETOPS pre-flight inspections, transit checks and daily checks. TAM MRO is in the process of requesting the same line maintenance services in the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo, Campinas and Brasilia.
Pemco World Air Services will convert Boeing 737-400 passenger aircraft into a combi configuration for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior. Pemco finished the first configuration at its Dothan, Ala. facility in May and expects it to enter service this fall. The aircraft accommodates two flight crew members, 66 passengers and 4.5 pallets of freight with a range of more than 3,000 miles. The National Nuclear Security Administration will operate the aircraft.
As interior mods pick up, demand for aircraft exterior painting keeps pace. Many companies in the U.S., Europe and beyond want to expand their hangars to attract more paint work.
Composite structures have been around for decades, but the last few years have seen explosive growth in their use and development. Forthcoming jets like the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 boast that at least half their airframes are constructed from these advanced materials, compared to with just 11% on the Boeing 777 or, to go way back, just 1% on the early 747-100. Composites have taken a foothold in large, primary structural areas—for instance, the Learjet 85 will have both its fuselage and wing built primarily from carbon composites, the first business jet to do so.
Continuum Applied Technology has announced the release of version 10 of its Corridor Aviation Service Software. It offers more than 200 enhanced features including compliance and work order integration and quoting and an archiving scheduler.
Ancra International Corp., reissued STC to install power drive unit (cargo system) on Boeing 767-200, 300 and 400ER; 747-100, 200B, 300 and 400; and 777-200 and 300 series aircraft, STC ST01388LA
AeroStar named Greg Guzman general manager and executive VP of marketing and sales for the company and will oversee its strategic direction. Gordon Smart, VP of operations for Star Aviation, will assume the role of executive VP of operations for Aerostar and will assist the company as a managing partner.
You can't drive the speed limit if you don't know how fast you're going. That's Rayner Hutchinson's analogy for trying to improve safety and reduce human error without a 360-degree, data-rich view of your maintenance organization. Hutchinson, VP quality and safety at AAR Corp., has a good point: if you don't know where you stand today, you can't possibly know how to achieve measurable gains in safety.
AAR Corp. offers paint services at its 226,000 sq-ft. hangar in Miami, Fla., near Miami International Airport. Painting is offered in conjunction with many other maintenance procedures such as heavy checks, bridging checks, passenger-to-freighter conversions, interior upgrades, avionics upgrades, corrosion control programs, non-destructive testing and structural modifications. Other AAR locations for heavy maintenance include facilities in Hot Springs, Ark., Indianapolis and Oklahoma City. AAR offers engineering services in Indianapolis and Singapore. www.aarcorp.com
International Lease Finance Corp. will acquire AerCap's AeroTurbine business for $228 million. The agreement for ILFC to take over the business that leases aircraft components and engines still needs regulatory approval and should close “in the coming months,” AerCap says. AerCap CEO Aengus Kelly says the company is divesting AeroTurbine because its core leasing business has changed since it acquired the unit in 2006. At the time, it wanted the expertise in managing older aircraft.
Aftermarket consolidation continues in fits and starts, with some acceleration in 2011 as maintenance, repair and overhaul providers seek, in part, to get bigger to achieve the benefits of size, which include the availability of capital and technical expertise. Buy it's not just about size. Maximum efficiency comes from combining the right type of MRO assets to enable more complete packages to airlines, particularly offers that hold down inventory costs. Acquiring firms therefore look for assets that complement their current business.
PartsBase has 20,000 end users and more than 51 million line items. It enables customers buying and selling parts to cross reference them by their national stock numbers and search by description. The parts are listed by date stamp, with the most recently acquired items listed first. Repair stations have the ability to contact parts buyers and place a pre-emptive bid when they see an opportunity for an overhaul contract. Plans come in five different packages at different price levels: limited, basic, silver, gold and platinum. www.partsbase.com
New Systems, amended STC to install dual Universal Avionics flight management systems with GPS on Bombardier DHC-800-100, 200 and 300 series aircraft, STC ST10977SC
GAL Aviation received the AS9100B quality management systems certification by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board's National Quality Assurance Canada. The certification applies to GAL's production procedures at its 40,000 sq.-ft. interiors facility in St. Joseph de Beauce near Quebec City and its technical services division.
Aviatrax, Luxembourg-based aviation consulting company, has formed a joint venture company with Aviation Consulting called Aviatrax Technics. The JV has the following approvals: Continued Airworthiness Management Organization Subpart G and I, EASA Part M and Caymen airworthiness approvals.
The recent trend to modify older cabin interiors signals not only that the aftermarket is growing, but also that the airline industry is getting back on its feet. Carriers, inspired by next-generation aircraft, are moving beyond the cost savings of performing only required maintenance to paying renewed attention to their narrowbody fleets. Multiplying Modifications
Fipart is an independent locator service that enables airlines, manufacturers, service providers, MROs and distributors to buy and sell aircraft parts. It lists 26.5 million parts and 11,400 companies that are using its platform. Users can evaluate one another based on their experience buying and selling parts, providing information for a quality rating database. Customers can refine their searches based on the condition of the parts, distance, company type, industrial sector and aircraft model.
Enhance Aero opened a new site in Trieste, Italy to accompany its existing facilities the Clermont-Ferrand and Le Castellet airports in France. The 11,500 sq.-ft. facility opened on May 30, and will allow Enhance Aero to develop a new training center. Enhance Aero also announced that it has formed a new company, Enhance Aero Logistics. The new venture has started operating a logistics center near Paris Charles De Gaulle airport with 24-hour access.
Turkish Technik signed a five-year, total APU support agreement with SunExpress Deutschland for its fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The contract includes spare APU support, repair and overhaul and field service. The maintenance will be done at Turkish Technic's Istanbul maintenance facility. SunExpress Deutschland started operations in June with three Boeing 737-800s and plans to receive three more in 2011.
Are British Airways Engineering and Iberia pursuing any component contracts together, like you did for Thomas Cook Airlines? Are you going after all types of operators that have a joint fleet?
