When you compound the current shortage by forecast fleet growth, the situation becomes more acute.

Think “brake container” and safety might not be one's first consideration. Perhaps it should be. Extricating aircraft brakes from traditional containers entails lots of tugging and plenty of manhandling. That's because “the brake lies horizontally,” says Ron Miller. He chairs the Joint Air Transport Safety Committee at the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers. He estimates, depending on the aircraft, those brakes weigh 100-400 lb.

Bahraini maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider Gulf Technics is considering component repair to supplement its multi-million-dollar spares inventory, which ST Aerospace has helped manage and support since 2011. The MRO provider recently started offering Airbus and Embraer airframe maintenance services and plans to build a two-bay widebody hangar at Bahrain International Airport in Muharraq.

As airlines there increase in size, it is natural that they leverage their scale to gain efficiencies. That comes from both purchasing power and the desire to bring higher-technology maintenance, repair and overhaul capability in-house—or at least in the region.

Remains confident in choice of lithium-ion technology.

As it continues to cement its place as an “American” gas turbine engine manufacturer, Rolls-Royce is enlarging its advanced manufacturing capacity in Virginia while tapping automation and evolved machine tooling at its industrial base here in Indianapolis.

Want regional aftermarket support and need MRO personnel for growth

Sometimes, when an airline calls, it wants an overhaul shop to receive its turbofan in three months. Getting that much notice is good, because anyone running an engine overhaul plant likes to know just what the technicians and equipment will be doing at least four weeks ahead. A long, dependable schedule is an efficient schedule.