As cutting-edge technology renders powerplants exponentially more reliable—able to shun shop visits in a fashion earlier engines never could—cooperative agreements among OEMs and MROs are taking off. That is the irony of it.
Scheduling has long been an issue in aviation maintenance. Current project management software such as Microsoft Project is adequate, but these programs can make thousands of microscopic errors that can add up to a lot of ups and downs in manpower and overtime requirements, says Matthew Ginsberg, CEO of On Time Systems Inc.
Iberia Maintenance’s new hangar in Barcelona, which opened last month, is expected to create 200 high-skilled jobs when it reaches full capacity. Its current staff of 60 was in training in October, and the facility expected two aircraft to arrive in November for simultaneous inspections.
Archeion Holdings amended STCs to install an Avionica satlink Iridium satcom communication management system on various Boeing 727, 737, 757 and 767 series aircraft, STCs ST03689AT, ST03529AT, ST03386AT and ST03508AT
CORRECTIONS: The quote by Andrew Richardson, AkzoNobel Aerospace Coating’s global market director, pertains to the company’s interior cabin coating, Aerofine, and not to its Aerodur 3001 basecoat or Aerodur 3002 clearcoat system (October, pg. 62-63). Inventory Locator Service was misidentified as International Locator Service (November, pg. 45).
BAE Systems Info & Electronic Systems amended STC to install the BAE Systems Jeteye Performance Analysis Collection system on Boeing 767-200 series aircraft, STC ST02468CH
Avionics Support Group amended STCs to install various equipment—the Wingspeed Iridium communication management systems, dual DAC International electronic flight bags, navAero tBagC2 electronic flight bags, Thales integrated standby flight display, Ritec thermal printer, Thales-Kannad (406AF) emergency locator transmitter and International Communications Group ICS-220A Iridium SATCOM system—in various aircraft, including Boeing 727, 747, 757 and 767; Bombardier CL-600-2C10/2B19 and Lockheed 328G, STCs ST03603AT, STC ST03602AT, ST03700AT, ST03600AT, ST03588AT, ST03833AT
Ramco Systems will provide Suite 5 M&E and MRO maintenance planning software to the National Aviation Co. of India, which operates Air India, Indian Airlines, Air India Expres and Alliance, under a September contract.
AJ Walter, British Airways and Iberia jointly will provide component by-the-hour and leasing support to Thomas Cook for avionics components of its 22 Airbus A320 and seven A330 family aircraft based in the U.K and Scandinavia under a five-year agreement with the potential to be renewed for three more years. Thomas Cook Airlines U.K. will send avionics components to AJ Walter, while Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia will send them to BA or Iberia. Iberia will handle A330 parts repairs, while BA will handle A320 parts repairs.
The Regional Airlines Association added Constance Arnold as director of safety and technical affairs. Arnold most recently worked with US Airways’ Phoenix-based technical operations group. She will be responsible for many safety and regulatory issues previously handled by Dave Lotterer, who retired last December.
CFM International will maintain Muscat-based Oman Air’s 33 CFM56-7B engines under an Oct. 26 agreement. The contract guarantees maintenance costs on a dollar-per-engine flight hour basis for all of the powerplants that equip Oman Air’s 15 Boeing 737NGs, in addition to spares. According to CFM, Oman Air was the first customer in the Gulf region for CFM56-7B-powered 737NGs, which it ordered in 2001.
What have been your biggest challenges in the first year of refocusing Olympic Air’s maintenance business? Pascalis: We started our operation on Sept. 28, 2009, and the old Olympic Airlines actually concluded their operations on the same day. The first challenge was to take over the hangar facilities at Athens Airport: they were coming out while we were going in. It sounds easy, but it’s not. You have one huge, 40-year-old organization moving out, and us moving in on the same day. Logistically, it’s a big effort.
Archeion Holdings amended STC to install a mini quick access recorder model MKI, MKII, or MKIII on multiple air transport and business aircraft models, STC ST02472AT
AJ Walter Aviation added a new warehouse in Singapore, where in early November it said it already held more than $20 million in Airbus and Boeing inventory. This investment is a second recent addition: in September, AJ Walter announced it was adding a new office in Miami.
Hamilton Sundstrand opened a new, high-tech customer response center on Nov. 9, to provide a single point of access to a unified IT platform and master database. As it ramps up based on call volume, Hamilton Sundstrand says it could add specialists in areas such as health management.
Pratt & Whitney gained three new customers for its EcoPower engine wash program, and it added and expanded its engine management program portfolio. The IAE V2500 engines that power Jetstar Airways’ Australia-based Airbus A320 and A321 fleet will receive EcoPower engine wash services under a long-term contract with John Holland Aviation Services, a Pratt & Whitney EcoPower franchise partner in Melbourne, Australia.
ADI opened its doors in April 2010 at Sawyer International Airport in Gwinn, Mich. ADI’s dismantlers can take apart, remanufacture and recertify many of an aircraft’s parts for the secondary market, boosting the return on investment for aging aircraft. In addition to work at its own fixed-base facility—which includes two 30,000-sq.-ft. hangars, a 35,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and an engine test cell—ADI will travel to conduct remote teardowns anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. www.aircraftdeconstructors.com
Turkish Technik is aiming for the first quarter of 2011 to begin working with Goodrich on a joint-venture company announced in July to provide nacelle and thrust reverser maintenance, and related component work, although it still has not chosen the exact location for the plant. The company, which is seeing its landing gear maintenance business provide great profits, will double its employees to 4,000-plus by 2015.
Netherlands-based HKS Metals launched into the aerospace scrap metal recycling business by winning a contract to demolish used engine parts for KLM about 10 years ago. Since then, it has begun scrapping according to Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association reccomendations at its Gravendeel site close to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for all commercial aircraft. The components are fed through a 4,000-hp. shredder and reincarnated into material for furnaces and motor vehicles. www.hks.nl/
LONDON—More than 12,000 aircraft could reach their end of service lives in the next 20 years, while the prices of raw and processed materials to construct their successors continue to rise. Will recycling these redundant airframes ease material costs?
