Lufthansa Technik Philippines is looking at expanding its customer base beyond Asia, as well as adding new technical services, such as overhaul layovers and cabin refurbishment designed for budget airlines. The subsidiary of the German MRO celebrated 10 years of operations in September. It plans to offer new products such as overhaul layovers and cabin refurbishments designed for budget airlines.
Congress is pushing Safety Management Systems (SMS) to the forefront in the U.S., adopting new deadlines for the FAA to take action. The recently enacted Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 calls on FAA to begin a rulemaking proceeding to require Part 121 carriers to implement a safety system. The law requires the release of a notice of proposed rulemaking within 90 days and a final rule 24 months later.
Aero Hardware & Supply, a Florida-based hydraulic parts and service supplier, sold its aerospace parts division to Danish parts distributor Satair A/S for $13.5 million in late August. Satair will continue to operate assets and operations at Aero Hardware’s Miami offices, which employ 27 staff. Bilzin Sumberg, the law firm that represented Aero Hardware, declined to comment on the reason for the acquisition or say whether Aero Hardware employees will be affected by the sale.
The number of Western-built commercial jets in Russia has surpassed 400 and continues to grow, creating great opportunities for MRO business. However, local MRO providers face a number of problems that hamper their development. The Russian Air Transport Operators Association estimates 60% of the local MRO market is controlled by 10 major foreign service providers, leaving less than 40% to their Russian colleagues.
Having dominated the regional jet market for some years, Bombardier and Embraer will soon face serious competition from Russia, China and Japan. All three countries have developed competitors in the 70-100 seat class, two of which—Sukhoi’s SuperJet 100 and Comac’s ARJ21—are due to enter service in the next few months. Mitsubishi’s MRJ is on track for airline service in 2014.
Pattonair plans to open a 20,000-sq.-ft. center in Indianapolis on Dec. 1, to support aftermarket services for the former Allison engine lineup now owned by Rolls-Royce. The seven-year contract extends to North America the parts delivery services relationship that Pattonair already holds in support of Rolls-Royce’s commercial engines in Darby, U.K., and business and regional jets from Dahlewitz, Germany. Engines supported from Indianapolis will include the AE 2100, AE 3007, and Model 250 for business and regional jets.
AAR Corp. named Maj. Gen. (ret.) Jeffrey Schloesser president of its Aviation Worldwide Services (AWS) business unit, which it acquired from Xe Services in April. Schloesser, who formerly was director of U.S. Army Aviation, will report to Randy Martinez, group VP of AAR Corp.’s government and defence services segment, who had been serving as AWS president on an interim basis. AWS provides airlift services and specialized aircraft modifications.
Pratt & Whitney Canada and TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil formed a five-year agreement to provide PT6A and PW100 engine overhauls tests at P&WC do Brasil in Sorocaba and engine testing at TAP M&E’s Porto Alegre facility, which houses the region’s only engine test cells.
Turkish Technic inked a $1 million deal with BH Air, a Bulgarian-based private charter airline, to maintain landing gear from three Airbus A320s in Istanbul. Turkish Technik planned to receive the first gear by Sept. 27, and deliver it within 50-60 days. The MRO aims to finish the maintenance, RIB-5 inspection and any necessary corrosion repair on the gear by the end of March.
Canard Aerospace Corp. to install electronic flight bag provisions and a aircraft wireless LAN unit on various McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft, STC ST02857CH
One industrial building specialist’s first LEED project—and its largest-ever single project in terms of value—is in the works now for a site adjacent to Honolulu International Airport. Rubb, Inc. is working with the state of Hawaii and Hawaiian Airlines to build a new, LEED Silver certified campus for the carrier that is comprised of an aircraft maintenance hangar and an air cargo building, says Gordon Collins, sales manager for Rubb. Another green building also could take shape on the site in the future.
Premier Aviation Overhaul Center in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, is negotiating with Israel Aerospace Industries to acquire Empire Aero Center, IAI’s MRO in Rome, N.Y. A Premier representative said on Sept. 2 that the talks are “positive.” Empire Aero opened in 2003 at the site of the former Griffiss Air Force Base, and has been seeking investors for the last few years. In April 2006, SR Technics signed a memorandum of understanding with IAI to purchase a 60% stake in Empire Aero, but it backed out of the proposed joint venture in January 2007. Facilities
Most airlines do it, but the MROs that maintain their flying machines don’t necessarily like it. The issue? Customized maintenance programs. More specifically, MROs must figure out how to keep turn times short and efficiency high while adhering to airlines’ differing directions. “In most cases, you’re going to work under [a specific carrier’s] maintenance program—work off their cards, their package. And that is a real problem for an MRO,” says Jim Ganopulos, Delta TechOps’ general manager of fleet management engineering for Boeing 757s, 767s and 777s.
Aircraft deicing may present growth opportunities for line service and ground handling companies as environmental agencies in the U.S. and Europe target aircraft deicing effluent with stricter containment rules. That, along with aging, obsolete equipment, is causing more air carriers to consider outsourcing deicing to vendors with expertise.
The Ford 300 I-6 4.9 liter engine is the standard to power most types of gas-powered ground support equipment (GSE) from tugs and belt loaders to deicing machines and baggage tractors in the U.S. But despite its widespread use, new, stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California air laws could make it difficult to continue using this engine.
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft appointed Ricardo Barrera director of sales for Latin America. A Colombian national, Barrera is based in Bogota. Most recently he served as fleet administration manager for Avianca, responsible for leasing contracts, aircraft incorporations and disposals.
LONDON—Deicing and anti-icing services have been part of the airport scene in cold climates for decades, and despite the direct effect such services have on aircraft flight safety, no standard exists for them in Europe. But that could change very soon. [See related deicing article, pg. 28.] Concerns over the variability of deicing and anti-icing services across the EU were first raised in 2006 by EASA’s Safety Standards Consultative Committee (SSCC). Since then, pressure to mandate or regulate a consistent standard across the EU has grown.
Maintenance systems and all the data and documents associated with them must be revised constantly. This process is basically a boon. It means that the latest fleet-wide data from manufacturers, airline-specific experience and regulatory wisdom are reflected in shop procedures, making maintenance both safer and smarter.
Aircraft Systems & Manufacturing reissued STC to install a digital flight data recorder parameter upgrade using an SFIM ARINC 717 digital flight data acquisition unit on McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 aircraft, STC ST09741SC
Getting airlines to become more proactive toward engine maintenance is easier said than done, even as traffic and airline revenues improve. “It is one of the biggest challenges for MROs, trying to get airlines to understand that short-term cost benefit can sometimes produce long-term loss,” says Bruce Hunter, operations director for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and former general manager of operational maintenance for British Airways. “It’s a hard sell to get on the up side of the value proposition.”
M7 Aerospace named Gary Merrill VP of quality assurance, responsible for QA programs in aerostructures manufacturing, MRO, government logistics support contracting, supply chain management, and aircraft parts and engineering. Merrill most recently was managing director of quality assurance and technical programs for US Airways.
Dublin Aerospace won a contract to provide Boeing 737 heavy checks for Germany’s XL Airways. Dublin Aerospace will work on four XL Airways 737-800s this winter. The MRO, which was awarded its EASA Part 145 ticket last October, also counts Aer Lingus among its airframe heavy maintenance customers.
