LONDON—Design has a huge influence on the through-life costs of aircraft and their components, not only in terms of performance but also improved reliability and reduced maintenance costs. A former aircraft engineer, David Hill, head of maintenance programs engineering for Airbus in the U.K., heads a specialist team at Filton that develops maintenance tasks for the wings, landing gear and fuel systems of Airbus aircraft.
Bahrain-based Gulf Air picked Trax Maintenance software to manage its MRO operations. Gulf Air plans to implement e3, the newest version of the software.
There’s not much cooperation in military aircraft procurement or sustainment activities in the Middle East, but that could change if a joint venture set to begin operating very soon in the United Arab Emirates achieves its mission of becoming a profitable regional hub for military aircraft MRO.
HYDERABAD—Air Works Engineering, India’s only EASA-approved MRO facility with approvals for Boeing 737, ATR42/72 and soon Airbus A320, has picked up a 85% stake in Air Livery, UK. The two companies had announced a 50-50 joint venture in 2008, which this year was boosted to 85% when Air Works decided to provide dedicated aircraft painting services at Hosur Airport in Bengaluru, formerly Bangalore, with a view to serve the entire Asia-Pacific region.
Mobile Powered Workstation Five models of battery-equipped mobile workstations from Newcastle Systems allow workers to take computers, printers, barcode scanners and other small electronic items with them as they complete a job. An onboard battery that can power four devices simultaneously for up to 10 hours makes it applicable for time-consuming, movement-laden tasks such as inventory management, process control, on-demand label printing, product testing, order picking, cross-docking, weighing, scanning and other common warehouse processes.
The AVIATION WEEK MRO of the Year Awards honor the best MRO and aftermarket entities around the world for value-adding achievements and innovations. This year, our winners realized marketable opportunities from merged airline maintenance departments, new material support and multi-skilled workforce strategies, restructured airframe and engine MRO processes, and innovative inspection methodologies. They’ll be recognized during a special ceremony at MRO Americas 2010 in Phoenix.
While it doesn’t specialize in turboprops, BAE Systems sees signs that customers want specialized solutions, says spokesman David Dorman. One such customer is Condor Flugdienst, which enlisted BAE Systems' remarketing services for its 13 Boeing 757-300s. Condor's aircraft will remain in operation while BAE seeks a financial institution or leasing company to buy its aircraft then lease them back to Condor. No modifications or upgrades are involved in the work for Condor; BAE purely will seek out entities interested in buying the 13 aircraft.
Air India plans to get into Boeing 787 engine maintenance, per an agreement with GE Aviation. Air India will offer MRO for GEnx-1B engines, and GE will provide the carrier technical support. The GE Branded Services Agreement licenses Air India to service these engines, with GE assisting with work scopes, repair licenses and training.
Electronics systems specialist Thales signed a contract with Dassault Aviation to provide maintenance support for avionics equipment on French Rafale aircraft. The 10-year deal is reportedly unique for the two companies because of the range of equipment involved, in that it guarantees a fixed price per flight hour and covers extended services such as obsolescence management.
Chromalloy named Dennis Miller to head its Midwest City, Okla., gas turbine engine maintenance and service center. Miller previously was VP and general manager at Smiths Group’s tubular systems unit.
Rockwell Collins Aerospace and Electronics Flight Dynamics Division, amended STC to install a Rockwell Collins Model 6605 head-up display and enhanced vision system CMA-2600i infrared sensor system on Bombardier CL-600-2B16 (CL-604) aircraft, STC ST02177LA
—Engine maintenance has come a long way, with repairs developed in the workshop evolving into tasks that can be undertaken on-wing or in situ at a customer’s base. With the cost of an engine overhaul topping $2 million and on-wing repair and part replacement services costing between 1% and 10% of that, demand for more repairs to be made available on-wing has never been greater.
Aeroman Launched operations in 1983 to support TACA and third-party customers. Moved into new facility at El Salvador International Airport in 1984. Gained FAA Part 145 repair station certification in 1992.
Sabena technics signed a five-year, full-support contract with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s major airline, CAA, Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation, the first airline to start Airbus A320 operations in the region. Military
DUBAI—Temperatures as hot as 50 degrees C and sand as fine as talcum powder wreak havoc on aircraft in the Middle East, making operational efficiency a challenge for commercial operators here. These conditions translate into engine removals and system maintenance that come well before manufacturer-mandated repair cycles—as well as higher operational costs. To combat these conditions, maintenance managers at Saudi Aramco and Oman Air have worked with OEMs to correct problems and find ways to stop them before they begin.
GAMECO is preparing to maintain China Southern’s Airbus A380s. That work comes to it almost by right, since the airline is a major shareholder, but it may be hard for the company to attract more A380 business given the small numbers of the type in service and on order. Singapore Airlines, another A380 operator, is a competitor. GAMECO has not yet begun marketing for A380 work but it will soon, says Norman. One concern must be getting adequate service from the costly A380 hangar that the company has built in anticipation of receiving China Southern’s A380s.
Aveos has received a lot of unfavorable press lately regarding its whopping multi-million dollar debt and related takeover by creditors. But what many readers don’t know is that much of the MRO’s reorganization occurred long before the debt-for-equity swap with creditors occurred. Back in 2008, the recession began hitting Aveos hard. Consequently, the company initiated an austerity plan, which included furloughing 20% of its workforce—around 700 people.
IATA’s latest Airline Business Confidence Index quarterly survey of airline CFOs and cargo heads says the majority of airline executives reported profitability improvements in the fourth quarter of 2009, and 76% of them expected profitability to improve over the next 12 months.
