The European Commission added Ghana’s Meridian Airways to its list of airlines banned from the EU for safety reasons and banned three freighter aircraft operated by another Ghanaian carrier, Airlift International, from operating into EU airspace. The EC explained that Meridian had been banned “as a consequence of a series of very poor results from inspections involving not only their aircraft but also facilities used by the airline in the EU.”
Lufthansa Technical Training added new Airbus A330/A340 type training course capability with a cockpit simulation device called the Maintenance Flight Training Device, which it started using on A330 courses in August. It plans to extend the simulator’s use to Boeing types, starting with the Boeing 747-400.
Pratt & Whitney added ITR-Turborreactores, S.A. de CV’s Queretaro, Mexico, facility as a designated service provider center of excellence for JT8D engine component repair.
Aviation maintenance professionals are not an overly superstitious lot. But they do believe in ghosts. The “ghosts” in question here are phantom components, whose very existence is shadowy, ethereal. They manifest themselves when MROs and airlines go looking for parts. Sellers say they have the part on hand, but in reality, “they do not have the quantity they represent, or they don’t even have the part,” says Brian Tolley, president of PartsBase.
LONDON—Attendees at July's Farnborough International Airshow gained insight into the crucial role that projected long-term maintenance costs play when airlines negotiate deals for a clean-sheet airliner—especially if the engine is an all-new design, too. On opening day, Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of Qatar Airways, quashed speculation about a likely show order for Bombardier’s CSeries when he told reporters that talks were in limbo until Pratt & Whitney agreed to maintenance cost guarantees for its PW1000G geared turbofan.
Seven Q Seven to replace Pratt & Whitney JT3D series engine with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 engine and associated systems in all positions on Boeing 707-300C series aircraft, STC ST02287LA
GE Aviation held its second M601 line maintenance training course at its Cincinnati-area Customer Technical Education Center on Oct. 25 and 26. It plans to offer the course, which it launched in March, twice per year.
GE Aviation plans to invest $40 million on 1,000 new repairs in 2010, and part of this funding is focused on developing new capabilities for its CF6-80C2 engine. Although this 25-year-old model is in the last stages of its life-cycle, its manufacturer is participating in a joint repair development with Lufthansa Technik to test some tried-and-true repair techniques in the turbine engine aftermarket for the first time.
Rolls-Royce has won an order worth $560 million at list prices for Trent 700 engines to power eight Lufthansa and Swiss Airbus A330 aircraft. The order includes a TotalCare long-term service agreement. The aircraft are slated to enter service from 2012. Avionics/IFE
Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen added a new engine parts and accessories repair, or EPAR, product to expand its nacelle services. It initially will repair common nacelle assemblies and tail cones for the IAE V2500 engine.
Delta TechOps extended its power-by-the-hour component support contract for Ryan International Airlines’ Boeing fleet through 2014. The new agreement expands coverage to all Boeing 767s for component support in North America and Europe, as well as one Boeing 757 for component support in North America.
The first of two SunExpress CFM56-7B turbofan engines arrived at Lufthansa Technik’s Hamburg engine overhaul center on Oct. 13. The engines are covered under a 10-year total engine support contract the Turkish carrier arranged for its Boeing 737-800 fleet earlier this year.
After 18 months of subcontracting line maintenance to a local provider, Klaus Ren, president and CEO of Copenhagen-based Jet-Time A/S, had had enough. “Our vendor didn't perform as promised,” says Ren, noting that the provider has since folded. With seven Boeing 737-300s, Jet-Time now does all line work at its own hangar in Copenhagen. “By doing this inhouse, we can supervise our staff, which is dedicated to our own aircraft. You can’t count on that with an outside provider.”
ARC Avionics to install dual Collins DME-42 interrogator sensors (transceiver-receiver), dual antennas and 28 VDC circuit breakers on Boeing 737-200, -300 and -400 series aircraft, STC ST03861AT
ARC Avionics amended STC to install dual Universal Avionics UNS-1F flight management system or UNS-1Fw WAAS-capable FMS on Boeing 737-200 series aircraft, STC ST03362AT
The first of four new-generation regional jets should make its airline debut by the end of the year, heralding a new era of super-efficient aircraft that promise to cut fuel consumption and maintenance costs significantly compared to current types. Assuming Sukhoi receives type certification for its SSJ100 Superjet from Russian aviation authorities this month, the first of these should be delivered to Aeroflot and Armavia before the end of the year. Eighteen aircraft are now in production, with six in final assembly.
GE Aviation appointed Bill Fitzgerald VP and general manager of its GEnx product line from his most recent position as VP and general manager of assembly, test and overhaul. Taking over for him in that role is Colleen Athans, who was promoted from general manager of CF6 commercial engines and services.
Rockwell Collins Aerospace & Electronics to install the Rockwell Collins Model 4000 head-up guidance system with enhanced vision system capability on Boeing 737-700, -700C, -800, -900 and -900ER series aircraft, STC ST00039MC
India’s Air Works aims to expand rapidly into the country’s booming market for aircraft maintenance by buying foreign specialist operators and replicating their expertise at home. It sees the expansion strategy, already used with its purchase of British aircraft painting firm Air Livery, as the answer to a range of challenges: how to quickly gather expertise, avoid overloading management, lure new customers, and establish and keep a reputation for quality.
Pentagon 2000 Software gained Aero Contractors Co. of Nigeria as a customer for its Pentagon2000SQL logistics management and record keeping software. Contracts
