TAECO expects to operate three 747-400 passenger to freighter conversion lines for its contract with Boeing, which covers up to 33 conversions through 2010. TAECO signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing for another 17, which brings the potential total to 50.
MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg received EASA and FAA approval to repair GE CF34-8 engines. MTU said there are more than 750 such engines in revenue service and 1,500 more have been ordered for delivery through 2014.
The value of the worldwide commercial jet transport MRO market rose a modest 1.3 percent last year to $38.8 billion, but it is expected to grow at a pace approaching 5 percent annually over the next five years as the recent decline in labor rates bottoms out and engine overhaul costs continue their upward trajectory. The annual MRO Forecast, prepared for O&M by TeamSAI and BACK Aviation Solutions, predicts a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7 percent, with the worldwide MRO market reaching a value of $48.8 billion by 2011.
Gulfstream Aerospace plans to add a new 570,000-square-foot service center in Savannah, Ga., that will be twice as big as the existing one. It will include a 42,600 square foot paint hangar. Savannah Technical College plans to open an A&P certification program to train future maintenance technicians for the growth.
Alaska Airlines Maintenance and Engineering began a comprehensive, fleet-wide inspection of aircraft pressurization systems as an additional precaution following a number of recent pressurization-related incidents.
When resources are scarce, it makes sense for different organizations performing similar functions to work together for the common good. That's the premise behind "jointness," a concept and buzzword that currently is ascendant in the United States military.
BBA Aviation Services acquired Ontic Engineering & Manufacturing, a provider of OEM licensed parts, accessories and maintenance services for business aviation, commercial aviation and military operators.
Messier Services-Asia joined Boeing's Component Repair Network as a service center. It will perform landing gear overhauls on MD-11s, 777s and 737s. Boeing also added Goodrich Aerostructures Service Center Asia to the group to perform nacelle component repair and overhaul for 737s and 777s.
After suffering through several years of growing pains in the mid-to-late 1990s, Korean Air now seems to have gotten its growth and operations under control and, two years ago, entered the third-party MRO market. Recently, O&M sat down with K.S. Lee, the carrier's executive vice president of corporate strategy, operations, and maintenance & engineering, to discuss Korean Air's plans for the future. Edited for length and clarity. O&M: Do you complete all of your own maintenance for airframes and engines?
Pratt & Whitney Canada's customer service center in Ludwigsfelde, Germany, started offering MRO services for PW500s. The facility also expanded its Mobile Repair Team to support this engine in the field.
It's too late to revise the design of old airplanes like the Mallard, and the only way to ensure that these aircraft are safe may be intrusive inspections that could require de-riveting wing skins, if there is a suspicion of uninspectable internal damage.
In preparation for this year's MRO Conference & Exhibition in Phoenix, O&M queried members of the Air Transport Association's Engineering, Maintenance and Materiel Council on a variety of aftermarket related topics. Below are some of their responses. MRO is produced by Aviation Week and the ATA EMMC. What is the best innovation your M&E group has achieved in the last year? What do you think it will be in 2006? Yesso Joseph Tekerian Hawaiian Airlines Senior Director, Engineering
Henkel's new Loctite 7703 hand-held LED light is designed to immediately cure Loctite 3552 and Loctite 3553 Visible Light Cure Adhesives. Henkel's Light Source is designed not to emit UV wavelengths and doesn't require any special protective equipment for users. It features an LED point light source with an extended tip that is designed to cure adhesive joints up to 0.25 inches square. The system can use rechargeable batteries or an AC adapter, and it can be used while recharging. Henkel Corp. Industry and Maintenance, 1001 Trout Brook Crossing, Rocky Hill, CT 06067.
Raytheon Aircraft Services named Joseph Feeney general manager at its San Antonio, Texas, facility. It also appointed Jimmy Helmick as director of completions operations for Hawker 850XPs and Hawker 4000s.
Griffon's Telephonics Corp. subsidiary announced in February a $3.4 million contract award from the Military Transport Aircraft Division of EADS-CASA in Madrid, Spain, for three APS-143C(V)3 maritime surveillance radars, with options for initial spares and in-service support, for the Spanish Maritime Safety Agency. The first system should be delivered in September.
China Eastern Airlines (Yunnan) and Shanghai Airlines selected AAR to provide landing gear maintenance, repair and overhaul services for their fleets of 767-300s. AAR Landing Gear Service will perform the work at its Miami facility. In addition, China Airlines selected AAR to repair its 737-800 landing gear.
