International Aero Engines (IAE) has stepped into the certified surplus materials arena, announcing the Pure-V designation available to V2500 engines with approved parts and repair histories. Pure-V figures to bring several benefits to both the manufacturer and V2500 owners, notably lessors. Customers with Pure-V-certified engines stand to benefit from the potential of higher residual values when selling them, and will be offered extended warranties on parts.

Nicarnica Aviation’s aircraft-mounted ash cloud sensor passed its most comprehensive test to date, clearing the way for eager early adopter EasyJet to proceed with getting the system approved for installation.

Bombardier CRJ200 operators are being urged to inspect emergency manual landing gear release systems to ensure they are operating correctly, following an in-service report of a latent failure potentially caused by unrelated maintenance.

Intertrade, which facilitated the establishment of the airliner surplus parts supplier business four decades ago, has added engine parts to its portfolio, completing its evolution from a one-product specialist to a full-service used-components supplier.

British Airways (BA) is adding vibration monitors to the cooling fans and recirculation fans of its Boeing 777 fleet to detect bearing problems before the fans fail in flight. The action comes after a “series of smoke events” in the cockpit of a 777-200 (G-VIIK) over the North Atlantic at 38,000 ft. en route to London Heathrow Airport from Philadelphia International Airport on Dec. 2, 2012.

General Electric increased the urgency of recommended modifications to CF6-80C2 fuel manifolds after the problem addressed by previous retrofits was implicated in an engine fire on a CF6-80C2B1F-powered Boeing 747-400F earlier this year.

Despite recent encouraging signs pointing to a commercial aftermarket rebound, headwinds will be strong enough to limit significant growth in 2014, a Canaccord Genuity survey of major industry players concludes. “Based on current visibility within the industry, we expect improvement in 2014 over 2013, but a significant bounce-back after the weaker-than-expected 2013 is not expected,” writes analyst Ken Herbert in his first quarterly Canaccord Global Commercial Aerospace Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) survey.

Qantas Airways will close one of its two heavy maintenance bases in March, rejecting a union’s last-ditch proposal to keep the facility open. The decision to close the base at Avalon Airport, near Melbourne, means that Qantas will be left with just one heavy maintenance facility, in Brisbane. The Avalon base primarily handles Boeing 747-400 maintenance, but the gradual phase-out of this aircraft type is reducing its scheduled workload.