Avro International, the British Aerospace regional-jets subsidiary, has begun offering maintenance and refurbishment services through its flight-test department at Woodford, UK.
Under the Avrotec name, the company will initially offer support for the BAe146/Avro RJ series, but in the future it intends to extend its work to cover other jet-powered aircraft, and turboprops such as the Jetstream J31 and J41.
Apart from refurbishment of an ex-Euro Direct Jetstream ATP for Manx Airlines, Avrotec's first major contract has been eight-year structural inspections, painting and refurbishment of two BAe 146-100s for Air China. That contract entailed a 35-day guaranteed turnaround, plus six days for extra modifications for each aircraft.
Avrotec's business manager Steve Sykes says that the company is aiming for £2million ($3.1 million) worth of external work in 1996, and double that in 1997. "The only constraint is the size and capacity of our hangars," he says.
He points out that BAe's Asset Management Organisation is managing a fleet of some 100 aircraft, but that until now all the maintenance work of those aircraft has been done by third parties such as Marshall Aerospace and FLS Aerospace.
Source: Flight International
