Boeing and Southwest have asked the FAA to delay mandating inspections on Boeing 717 fuselage frames.

In the quest to reduce errors and improve safety, managers too often focus on the wrong questions. They ask things like, “How can we reduce our incident rate?” and “How can I get workers to pick up debris on the shop floor?” What they should be asking is something like: What is keeping technicians from doing what they already know is right?

The June 7 initial bid deadline for bankrupt Canadian MRO provider Aveos's assets passed with mixed news, including indications that Air Canada is willing to help land work for the buyers of the engine and component businesses, while no bids were received for Aveos's airframe assets.

3. Super Spares Distributor: A J Walter Aviation Applications: A J Walter operates out of London, Dubai, Singapore and Miami with aircraft spares stock, and also has a presence in Central Europe and on the U.S. West Coast.

Consolidation of MRO providers continues, with some buyers adding software to their hard hangar assets. Moelis Capital Partners (MCP) recently acquired its third aviation services platform in the past two years with the purchase of Mxi Technologies. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but industry analysts say it was valued at less than $100 million.

The economic life of the ATR 72 is 70,000 cycles, but based on innovation from the manufacturer and operators alike, ATR is “evaluating the possibility” of setting the limit even higher. Cycle ceilings are important, but it's the optimization of operations during that economic lifetime that matters most.

For U.S. Boeing 747-400 operators, going outside the country for heavy airframe maintenance may be the only choice, as North American MRO capacity for the huge aircraft becomes increasingly limited. It's easy to see why, given what has become a relatively small number of aircraft.

4. Innovative Inventory Distributor: Aero Inventory Applications: AeroInv.com offers new features such as single and multiple parts searches, and creation and printing of quotations. Its central distribution hub is at Singapore's Changi Airport.