THE AUSTRALIAN Government has shut down ASTA Aircraft Services (ASTAAS) after failing to find a buyer for the loss-making maintenance operation.
ASTAAS, which employed around 450 people, was one of two units left over after the 1995 privatisation of the ASTA aerospace business in 1995. The other unit, Avalon Airport, has now been sold to Foxerco, a consortium of Australian transport group Linfox and the UK-based Serco Aviation Services.
Given significant overcapacity in the maintenance industry, the board concluded that ASTAAS was not viable without long-term contracts from a major airline.
Source: Flight International
