The latest version of the Maintenance Annex Guidance (MAG) between FAA and EASA goes into effect today.Change 3 of the MAG includes 15 notable updates, including a requirement for the agencies to coordinate so-called "external" audits, such as by DOT's Office of Inspector General. Coordination will be done between FAA's Aircraft Maintenance Division (AFS-300) and EASA's Standardisation Department.

Virgin America by mid-2014 will likely be the first airline to begin using a new NASA-developed software application designed to help pilots save time or fuel by optimizing routing and altitude during the climb and cruise portion of a flight. The capabilities are part of the NASA Langley Research Center’s Traffic Aware Planner (TAP), an advisory application designed to be installed on electronic flight bags (EFBs) in the cockpit. Armed with a time or fuel-saving alternative, pilots contact air traffic control to ask for a change to their route and altitude.

Indonesia’s Lion Air is moving closer to completing the first phase of its new maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Batam, which will help it handle the massive number of aircraft deliveries the carrier has scheduled and make it a player in the third-party MRO market.

Airbus A380 operators are facing mandatory checks for fatigue cracking in a specific belly area after scheduled maintenance checks uncovered damage. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a proposed airworthiness directive (PAD 13-173) that, if adopted, would require “detailed inspections” along the belly frame leading edge profile at fuselage frames 35-37. 

Boeing engineers repairing the Ethiopian Airlines 787-8 stranded at London Heathrow Airport for five months since it was badly damaged by an emergency beacon fire have replaced a large section of the upper fuselage structure and refitted the tail unit as part of efforts to return the aircraft to service early next year.

Maintenance has not really been a priority for alliances

AAR’s Lake Charles, La. facility, which opened in September by using a short-term approval through its Miami facility’s operating certificate, received its own in mid-November. This certification means AAR is now up to 14 FAA-certified repair stations. The facility also just completed its first heavy check--on an Airbus A330. (AAR didn’t disclose the owner or operator.)

One big trend in recent aftermarket activity has been the increasing importance of OEM support, especially in engine work. For the biggest MRO deals, manufacturers often seem to compete mostly with shops that are part of a global airline, like Lufthansa or Air France.