What is bmi's fleet age and utilization? Mahoney: Our narrowbody Airbuses are six years old, the Boeing 737s are around 13 years old, and the A330s are around eight years old.
Magellan Services Co. to install an active ventilation system for lavatories, galleys and non-essential equipment throughout Boeing 737-700 aircraft, STC ST10952SC
MARIETTA, Ga.—With a recession pinching procurement budgets around the globe and deliveries of Airbus A400M slipping, some Lockheed Martin C-130 suppliers are seeing an opportunity to offer a host of avionics upgrades to keep the tactical airlifters flying and ensure their access to preferred air routes for years to come.
Wencor acquired assets of Boone Air Parts in November. It planned to use the assets to begin a new company with the same name, but operated as a Utah Corporation and Wencor subsidiary. Facilities
The French Ministry of Defense renewed its four-year maintenance in operational condition contract with Sabena technics for two Airbus A319 CJs operated by the ETEC (Escadron de Transport, d’Entraînement et de Calibration). Sabena technics’ facilities at Villacoublay and Bordeaux-Mérignac will provide line, light and heavy maintenance; engineering support; technical and logistical assistance in France and overseas; and engine and component overhaul services.
Line Operations Safety Audit, or LOSA, has long been a fixture in cockpits. Now, a committee is working to move that same program onto the ramp and into maintenance facilities.
A 35-year MRO program came to an end on Nov. 4, when Boeing Defense Australia delivered the final Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-111 fighter-bomber it was contracted to service under the Deeper Maintenance program. Aircraft A08-135 was the 28th F-111 Boeing has worked on since becoming part of the program in 2001. Deeper Maintenance was initiated by the RAAF in 1974, shortly after it added the F-111 to its combat fleet. Boeing has since 2001 performed more than 500,000 hours of MRO on F-111s.
Most airlines expect their parts inventories to decline further in 2010 and to make more use of vendor-owned inventories and pools. These are a few of the preliminary results of a survey Aerostrategy and IATA are conducting.
ST Aerospace renamed six subsidiaries to brand them more firmly to the parent company: ST Aerospace Services Co. Ptd. Ltd. (formerly ST Aviation Services Co. Pte. Ltd.), ST Aerospace Training Academy (ST Aviation Training Academy), ST Aerospace Guangzhou Aero-Technologies & Engineering (Guangzhou Aerospace Technologies & Engineering), ST Aerospace Mobile (ST Mobile Aerospace Engineering), ST Aerospace San Antonio (San Antonio Aerospace) and ST Aerospace Panama (Panama Aerospace Engineering).
American Airlines named James Ream, president and CEO of ExpressJet, senior VP of its maintenance and engineering operations effective Jan. 1. Ream succeeds Carmine Romano, who retired after 41 years with American. Romano was VP for base maintenance before he was named MRO VP in 2007.
iPod Integration Equipment Rockwell Collins added an integration feature for its Digital Total Entertainment System and Enhanced Total Entertainment System for widebody aircraft that allows passengers to output video and audio from their iPods or other portable media device into the aircraft’s IFE system. Passengers then can listen or watch their own media files via in-seat displays or headphones. The new equipment includes USB charging capabilities and is designed to work with iPhone, iPod Touch, iPod Classic and iPod Nano as well as other portable media devices.
Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies appointed Juergen Haacker COO, Paul Horstink VP of airframe services, David Hope VP of technical services and Talal Yahiya Al-Riyami executive VP of quality and safety management.
Taikoo Spirit Aerosystems Composite opened in Jinjiang, Fujian Province. Shareholders invested $27.2 million in the new company, which claims to be the first in mainland China to repair and overhaul composite components for both narrowbody and widebody aircraft. Shareholders include HAECO (41.8%), Spirit AeroSystems (31.54%), Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering (10.76%), Cathay Pacific Airways (5.45%), China Airlines (5.45%) and Quanzhou Export Processing Zone Investment Management (5%).
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is reporting successful trials with an innovative ozone-based aircraft water system sanitization unit, according to Cory Howe, an aircraft systems engineer in the carrier’s maintenance and engineering department. “The EPA has issued some recent rulings which prompted us to look into new technologies that can remove potential hazards and allow for aircraft potable water system quality verification on our entire 737 fleet,” he explains.
Sabca, a Brussels-based company specializing in aviation engineering, signed an exclusive F-16 spare parts supply contract with Derco Aerospace of the U.S. Derco, a subsidiary of Sikorsky Aerospace Services, will supply parts manufactured by Argo-Tech, Hamilton Sundstrand and Honeywell for just-in-time component repair of F-16s operated by European air forces.
Fokker Services launched its FlyFokker program, which consists of four programs—Take Off, Take Care, Take Over, and Take Next—aimed at supporting start-up operations, in-service Fokker aircraft, aircraft phase-out and transfer. Its goal is to maintain its current number of in-service aircraft and to offer airlines an alternative to delaying maintenance or parking Fokker aircraft.
Russian Helicopters, JSC has announced that it will set up a regional MRO facility in Sharjah, UAE, for Russian-made helicopters, including the Mi-class, a military version that is in use by many Middle Eastern, African and Eastern European forces. International RotorCraft Services, a company formed in partnership with Airfreight Aviation Ltd. of the UAE, will run the MRO facility. Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of UIC Oboronprom, is the umbrella company for all Russian helicopter manufacturers.
SR Technics plans to open a narrowbody MRO facility in Malta to provide base and heavy maintenance for narrowbody aircraft operating in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The four-bay facility, to open in early 2012, is part of SR Technics' plan to redeploy airframe and other labor-intensive activities to low-cost areas and to increase proximity to its customer base.
Automatic Shut-off Pressure Washers Daimer Industries’ new line of mobile, heated, electric high-pressure washers fits situations where operators work far away from the equipment and would waste time turning off the washers every break. The Super Max 12200AST pressure washers feature automatic shut-off technology that turns off the device’s pump and motor after 30 seconds when the cleaning gun is not in use, then restarts them when an operator pulls the trigger, preventing unnecessary wear on critical components.
Interior, Exterior LED Aircraft Lights Heads Up Technologies offers new LED cabin interior lighting for the Beechcraft King Air 350i and an exterior LED light system for the Cessna CJ family. Originally developed for the CJ4, the LED landing lights now are available for CJ1, CJ2 and CJ3, as well.
