Walking through the Paris air show last month, I was struck by the large number of companies exhibiting under one regional or cluster umbrella. There were, to mention a few, Aerospace Valley, Rockford Area Aerospace Network, Monterrey Aerocluster Mexico, Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster, Aero Montreal, Skywin Wallonie and Northwest Aerospace Alliance. Such groupings have a basic economic rationale: They allow small suppliers to be present at a show without bearing the full costs of renting their own stands in an exhibit hall.

Bombardier is boosting its aftermarket support network in Africa, tapping customer Ethiopian Airlines as an authorized Q400 maintenance provider and adding both parts distribution and customer support out of Johannesburg. The Ethiopian agreement will cover both Q400 line and heavy maintenance and is expected to be in place by September, Bombardier says.

Lufthansa Technik (LHT) has set up CFM56-5 on-site engine support service in Montreal, landing longtime ally Air Canada as its first customer. LHT’s engine services airline support team offers a variety of on-wing and on-site support, including module and blade replacements as well as case repairs. The group currently supports CFM56-5As and -5Bs, but plans call for expansion to other engine types as demand warrants, LHT says.

About two years ago, Embraer and Kenya Airways began negotiations on establishing the airframer’s second authorized service center in Africa for commercial aircraft, to specialize in E-Jets. The companies’ ambitions gel well: Embraer wants to expand its total service offering on the continent with a trusted partner, and Kenya Airways operates five Embraer 170s and 12 E-190s, and will receive another three E-Jets by November. The airline also aims to build its maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities.

The FAA’s Aviation Safety division has a shrinking staff due to federal budget cuts, and so it is betting on less manpower-intensive risk-based surveillance programs to help inspectors keep tabs on aviation businesses.

Finding a real-world depiction of what Bombardier CRJ100/200 maintenance spending is expected to look like in the next decade is a snap.

As airlines continue to watch engine expenses, MROs are being asked by their customers to design customized approaches to service and provide material solutions. The conversation is forcing MRO vendors to search for answers outside their facilities.

If an airline could mix the petabytes of performance data that aircraft generate with Big Data analysis—and control the weather—that could be operational nirvana. Then fuse that with maximizing the customer experience—and save millions or billions of dollars—and you have near-utopia.