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.”
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.
Malaysian Aerospace Engineering added 767 heavy checks to its repertoire. The MRO provider said it had completed its first heavy check on a Boeing 767—a Kenya Airways 767-300. In addition, it secured a deal to do heavy checks on two of Royal Brunei’s 767-300s.
MAS GMR Aerospace Engineering Co. Ltd. is set to launch operations in the second quarter of 2011, partners GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. and MAS Aerospace Engineering say. The $70.9 million facility will service widebody and narrowbody aircraft in its four hangars.
H.I.G. Capital closed the deal to buy Volvo Aero Services from AB Volvo on Oct. 6 for an undisclosed amount. Claes Malmros, Volvo Aero Services’ president and CEO, will remain, as will the rest of the management and staff. Malmros said the company planned to change its name to VAS Aero Services within 45 days of Oct. 7. Transitioning functions such as information technology and financial systems from Volvo should take about one year.
Technical trainer John Mendoza is lucky. In his 25 years at San Antonio’s Kelly Aviation Center, he has rarely experienced major safety issues in the engine test cell. But accidents happen to even the best test cell operators, and once, early in his career, he came across an emergency situation that he was unprepared to handle.
TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil implemented an operational security management system, which it plans to deploy in four stages by December 2012. Training
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.”
Sabena technics renewed its component support for Dublin-based cargo carrier Air Contractors’ six ATR-42s and 10 ATR-72s for five more years in September. Sabena technics also will provide component repair and overhaul services for Croatia-based Trade Air’s two Fokker 100’s from its Dinard, France, site and its Paris Charles de Gaulle component pool.
Federal Express amended STC to install a Honeywell head-up display and a Kollsman infrared enhanced flight vision system on McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30F, MD-11 and MD-11F aircraft, STC ST03557AT
Environmental efficiency increasingly falls in step with better business practices when it comes to optimizing resources, and hangar structures make no exception to the rule. Buildings that can be lengthened, reconfigured, moved to a new place or even shifted on a fixed site enable flexible operations for aircraft maintenance providers. A movable building accomodates decisions to offer new services, shift work from one site to another, move a base in its entirety to a lower-cost address or sell the entire structure to another company in a new place.
The European Commission, ICAO, IATA and the U.S. Department of Transportation signed a memorandum of understanding to create a “framework and path” toward the creation of a global safety information exchange. The four organizations will begin by reviewing the safety information each collects and selecting items “most relevant to improving safety by risk reduction.” IATA has committed to providing de-identified information from 345 airlines participating in its operational safety audit program. ICAO will coordinate the exchange.
Presidential Airways amended STC to reconfigure the existing passenger seating arrangement to 30 passenger seats on Bombardier DCH-8-100 series airplanes, STC ST03457AT
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.
Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp. (EGAT) signed a 10-year, $230-million OnPoint agreement with GE Aviation to support 100 GE CF6-80C2 engines that power EVA Air’s fleet of Boeing 747-400 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters and combi aircraft. The contract covers OEM material management and repair solutions for the CF6s. EGAT and GE also have signed a 10-year extended general support licence agreement that GE says allows it to continue to provide technical support to EGAT.
Commsoft signed a 10-concurrent-user contract with Sweden-based Nex Time Jet AB, which will use Commsoft OASES MRO management software to support its 13 Saab 340s, three BAe ATP, two Beech 1900D and one Beech King Air 200 aircraft.
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.
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.
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
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.
Airbus inked a flight hour services tailored support package contract with Singapore Airlines to cover full component support, line and base airframe maintenance, and fleet technical management for five A340-500 ultra long-haul, all-business-class aircraft.
