Disciplined fleet growth and healthy load factors contributed to economic recovery for many airlines in 2010. As carriers crank the operational tempo, pressure builds for smooth quick-turn maintenance procedures.
IAE International Aero Engines won an order from Sichuan Airlines for V2500 engines to power eight Airbus A320 family aircraft, supported by a long-term service agreement. Earlier this year, Sichuan Airlines selected the V2500 to power 12 Airbus A320s plus a long-term MRO package. Brazil’s TAM Airlines also picked the V2500, for seven new A321s and three A319s slated for delivery starting this year, with a long-term service deal.
OEMs know the value of rotables and are trying to find niches to add to their revenue streams and to provide better customer support. Boeing and Airbus offer rotables exchange programs, although their partner MROs perform the services. In November, Boeing announced a new rotables exchange services program to support the 787 Dreamliner. It is designed to help reduce customer inventory costs by providing access to a Boeing-managed inventory pool of parts.
Fokker Services Asia (FSA) broke ground Dec. 1 on its new MRO facility in Singapore. FSA already has a hangar and facility at Singapore Seletar Airport’s east side but must relocate to the airport’s west side because the Singapore authorities are redeveloping the airport into an aerospace park. It plans to complete construction of a hangar, adjacent office and other facilities in December. The new hangar will be able to accommodate three regional aircraft, FSA says.
Airbus announced Dec. 1 that it will offer the Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G geared turbofan engine as a new engine option for A320 family aircraft. The A320neo family is scheduled to enter service from spring 2016.
Aging aircraft management comes to the forefront again as a new rule aimed at preventing widespread fatigue damage (WFD) takes effect this month. FAA published the final rule in November, several months after the Office of Management and Budget signed off on the rulemaking and nearly four years after FAA issued the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in April 2006. The rulemaking is the latest in a series of actions designed to address aging aircraft structural fatigue, FAA acknowledges, because other programs cannot predict WFD reliably.
ATA Chapter Code ATA 25 Equipment/Furnishings ATA 32 Landing Gear ATA 34 Navigation ATA 27 Flight Controls ATA 21 Air Conditioning ATA 23 Communications ATA 28 Fuel ATA 29 Hydraulic Power ATA 24 Electrical Power ATA 36 Pneumatic
Ameco Beijing and Jade Cargo International Co. signed a letter of intent on aircraft technical services to cover heavy maintenance for Jade Cargo’s Boeing 747-400ER freighter fleet, plus component services and technical training. Ameco has handled heavy maintenance for these Jade Cargo aircraft since 2009.
TIMCO Aerosystems amended STCs to install various equipment (including a Panasonic eX2 inflight entertainment system, cell modem, Honeywell Satcom system, Rockwell Collins Acars system upgrade, aircraft cabin systems, enhanced flight attendant crew rest seats, a triple seat, upgraded lavatories, windscreen with stretcher access) and conduct certain interior reconfigurations on McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and MD-90-30, Boeing 737-700/-800, 747-400, 767-300/-400ER and 777-200, Multiple STCs
DAO Aviation at Copenhagen Airport acquired Danish avionics company Dansk Fly Elektronik. It plans to retain current staff as part of its strategy to become a one-stop shop for commercial aircraft and engines.
Arinc Engineering Services plans to more than double its Oklahoma City service center with a 62,000-sq.-ft. hangar it will begin building this month. The company says the expansion comes in response to growing demand for avionics upgrades and scheduled depot maintenance, particularly among its government clients.
GKN Aerospace’s Engineering Services division inked a three-year contract with Airbus to provide wing engineering design and analysis support to improve manufacturing and maintenance processes for existing product lines.
AFI KLM E&M and Max Aerospace signed a strategic partnership agreement to exchange skills to serve customers in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in component support.
Lufthansa Consulting will work with Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines to monitor the carriers’ safety status under an agreement with the Libyan African Aviation Holding Co. Six consultants will work in Tripoli to suggest possible improvements and to develop a safety and quality concept to present the holding company. Lufthansa Consulting also will work with the two carriers on a three-month pilots’ upgrade program of testing to determine additional training needs.
Bangladesh-based GMG Airlines signed on to Pratt & Whitney’s engine management program for the next five years to monitor its current PW4060 and JT8D-200 and future engines’ performance. Pratt & Whitney’s Global Service Partners business unit leverages Web-based Advanced Diagnostics and Engine Management, or ADEM, tools to monitor the engines for health and maintenance trends. In October, Jordan Aviation inked a three-year, ADEM-based engine performance monitoring program. Other recent customers include Egypt’s Air Memphis.
Aeronautical Engineers Inc. will convert a Boeing 737-300SF nine-pallet configuration aircraft for an undisclosed customer under a late November contract. The 737-300 was built in 1988, and was then undergoing freighter modification and heavy maintenance at Commercial Jet Inc. in Miami. It also had inducted a second Boeing 737-400SF 11-pallet configuration conversion at Flightstart Aircraft Services in Jacksonville, Fla., for customer Aviation Capital Group.
Kopp Glass in Pittsburgh recently gained ISO 9001:2008 certification. It manufactures precision glasses lenses for applications that include airport lighting, aircraft lighting, light filters and other industrial technical glass uses.
With the delivery of next-generation aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and developments in long-discussed technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) taking hold, the aviation MRO industry will see a variety of exciting and challenging developments in 2011. Here are the top 10 technologies that O&M thinks have the most potential for changing the aftermarket landscape in 2011 and beyond. Automated Identification Technology (AIT)
Honeywell provides LED wingtip lights that can be retrofitted without modification on the Airbus A320 family. The lights are designed to last about 40 times longer than incandescent filament tubes, cut operational costs between 40-80%, and last 5-8 years. An indicator shows when the LEDs are approaching the end of their 20,000-hr. operating life. www51.honeywell.com/aero/common/documents/myaerospacecatalog-documents/ATR_Brochures-documents/Air_Transport_LED_Lighting_Brochure.pdf
Astronautics Corp. of America reissued STC to install Astronautics pilot information displays/electronic flight bags on Boeing 767-200 and 767-300 series aircraft, STC ST01963CH
