Air Canada has signed an agreement with Rockwell Collins to provide avionics support and asset management for its 37 Boeing 787s that will enter service next year.
The agreement includes guarantees on the availability of spare parts, repairs and software updates for the avionics systems, as well as tools to monitor its performance.
Several systems from Rockwell Collins are standard on the 787, including radios, weather radar, displays, and pilot controls.
“Our in-depth knowledge of Rockwell Collins’ state-of-the art avionics for the 787, coupled with our total life cycle dispatch support solution tailored to Air Canada requirements, will maximise aircraft availability and provide predictable maintenance costs,” says Thierry Tosi, vice-president and general manager, service solutions for Rockwell Collins.
Other airlines that have chosen the OEM to support its 787 avionics include Air India, Hainan Airlines, China Southern Airlines and All Nippon Airways. Singapore Airlines has also opted for Rockwell Collins to support its Airbus A380 avionics.
Rockwell Collins is working to ramp up its service offerings as more 787s enter service and is also focused on adding capabilities to support other manufacturers’ platforms, says Robert Haag, Rockwell Collins’ senior director, global service business development, international and service solutions.
“The 787 has been a big push for us,” says Haag in an interview with Flightglobal.
Service offerings make up about 20% of Rockwell Collins’ business, he says. About two-thirds of that is dedicated to commercial platforms.
Air Canada has sought to bring down maintenance costs and increase aircraft reliability as it works to implement several cost-saving projects. In a June investor presentation, airline executives said they planned to see annual revenue benefits of Canadian dollar (C$) 143 million ($133.7 million) from renegotiating contracts made after the shutdown of former maintenance provider Aveos. Increased aircraft reliability would provide C$100 in benefits between 2013 and 2016, it said.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
