International Aircraft Associates in Miramar, Fla., named Richard N. Sauro director, quality control, and Igor DeCamps director of information technology.
What percentage of today’s fleets fly under operating leases? Knittel: Our view is currently about 35%, but that percentage is directionally going up very significantly. The operating lease has really become a core part of the capital structure of airlines. If you go back 15-20 years, there were certain airlines that never leased aircraft other than long-term leveraged leases. Now I would say a vast majority of airlines have a number of operating leases in their fleet and look at that as a core part of the capital structure going forward.
SR Technics received EASA Part 145 base maintenance approval for Boeing 737NG aircraft in Switzerland, where it began offering C checks, modifications, landing hear and engine changes, and other support services in September. SR Technics’ Zurich Airport facility already offered line maintenance services for 737NG aircraft, in addition to cabin modifications and heavy airframe maintenance for Airbus aircraft.
A further safety initiative under consideration by the ERA is the establishment of a Safety Information Exchange program for its member carriers. The data-gathering program would be based on information and contributions provided by members of ERA’s Air Safety Workgroup, which meets four times per year. Part of its agenda is a members’ open forum to discuss safety related incidents that ERA members may have experienced since the previous meeting. Comments remain anonymous and are not attributed to any person, carrier or airport, etc.
Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. named Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services its third AEI authorized conversion center. Boeing Shanghai will provide customers in China and Eurasia with Boeing 737-300SF and 737-400Sf passenger-to-freighter conversions and maintenance services. The other two AEI conversion centers are Commercial Jet in Miami and Flightstar Aircraft Services in Jacksonville, Fla.
British Airways Engineering added 105 apprentices in London. BA offers three-year apprenticeships for 10-15 students at MRO bases in Cardiff, Wales, and Glasgow, Scotland, but the London Heathrow-based apprenticeships are the first offered there in 16 years.
A J Walter Aviation is supporting DHL Aviation America’s new Boeing 757 fleet under a three-year contract that provides access to the inventory specialist’s pool in Miami. A J Walter Aviation also gained Albanian carrier Belle Air as a customer. The long-term, power-by-the-hour deal initially covers the low-cost carrier’s four Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, but it could expand to cover as many as eight A320 family aircraft in the next two years.
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft delivered two BAe 146-200 regional aircraft to Aerolineas Star Peru, which now operates seven of the aircraft. Prior to delivery, BAE carried out a couple of engine changes on one of the aircraft.
Volvo Aero did not disclose the name of the investment company that plans to acquire Volvo Aero Services. The companies intend to close the deal in the third quarter. Facilities
Fusion, the initial name for Panasonic’s Integrated Smart Monitor, is not only a great description of the industry’s first fully integrated IFE/seat solution, it’s also a great description of the future of IFE. That’s because tomorrow’s cabins are going to be less about individual IFE vendors supplying and servicing individual products and more about vendors of cabin products merging solutions and taking a more holistic approach to both design and maintenance.
LONDON—Ireland’s place in world aviation took off in 1975 with the creation of Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA), a commercial aircraft sales and leasing company that went on to become the world’s largest commercial aircraft lessor. Since the late 1980s, GPA’s fortunes and ownership have fluctuated, forcing many of its former staff to find work with the other aircraft lessors that followed it to Dublin.
“Necessity is the mother of invention,” applies to MROs, even those in the developed world, where companies compete with organizations from lower-cost emerging markets. “Processes like airframe maintenance rely on labor, which is a commodity in today’s environment,” says Mike McBride, executive VP and CFO of Team SAI. “If an MRO in North America or Europe wants to maintain its margins, it has to move up the value chain and offer additional services, modifications and eventually component and engine repairs.”
Decreasing foreign object debris (FOD) is a constant challenge in MRO, and industry experts say that left-behind tools cause approximately $5 billion in damage to avionic parts each year. Surprisingly, organization methods intended to solve the FOD problem can generate some of the most troublesome issues.
Teledyne Controls reissued STC to install a Teledyne Controls wireless ground link quick access recorder on various McDonnell Douglas DC-9, MD-88 and MD90 models, STC ST02243LA
GE Aviation will decide by the fourth quarter whether to offer the TRUEngine program for its powerplants, says Bill Millhaem, GE’s general manager, material and CFM services. GE and Snecma offer the program for CFM56 engines with documented proof that they include no PMA parts. He anticipates the TRUE number to climb from 5,300 to 9,000 by year end. Czech Airlines just achieved the status for 22 CFM56-3 and 31 -5B engines.
SR Technics plans to expand its piece part repair business from bases in Zurich and Cork, Ireland. And, Thomson Airways selected SR Technics component services for 45 Boeing aircraft until 2015. The deal covers 29 Boeing 757s and 16 767s. JV/Acquisitions
Real-time and efficient communication with line mechanics Improved quality and speed of work Reduced paperwork by engineers Improved flexibility and disruption management On-the-job access to business applications Real-time information about status and aircraft-related changes Allocate resources efficiently through real-time access to e-documents, work schedules and updates Support collaborative decision-making. Increased revenue and enhanced customer service
Chromalloy ’s Fariba Lingnau became the company’s first woman to receive designated engineering representative (DER) authority from FAA. Lingnau, based in Phoenix, is Chromalloy’s 13th DER.
The Problem: British Airways Maintenance facility at Cardiff (BAMC) was using a legacy software system that did not perform inventory assessments efficiently. The system controlled re-ordering and control of stocks but did not calculate accountability levels of production mechanics. The Solution:
ATK Mission Research amended STC to install special mission equipment, including special surveillance equipment and radio communication equipment, on Bombardier DHC-8-200 and DHC-8-300 series aircraft, STC ST00004MC
