Boeing Commercial Aviation Services (CAS) is devising a support package for the 7E7 in which it will buy and supply parts and manage aircraft maintenance for operators.
Dubbed Integrated Materials Management and Service (IMMS), the scheme is an extension of the IMM arrangement Boeing has with Delta Air Lines, AirTran and Japan Transocean Air. Under IMM, Boeing and other suppliers own the parts, with the airline receiving and paying for parts as it uses them, reducing inventory costs. Daniel Da Silva, vice-president customer support, Europe, says Boeing is trying to supplement IMM by adding an "OEM-supported maintenance services offering" aimed at 7E7 customers.
Speaking at MRO Europe in Copenhagen last week, Da Silva said low-cost airlines and consolidation among established carriers was forcing airlines to examine their costs.
"We see a tendency to not think of building infrastructure to support a new aircraft - everything from simulators, parts inventory, training mechanics and in-house maintenance," he says. "Because the 7E7 is all-composite, you can be more intelligent about the way you maintain aircraft."
Hamilton Sundstrand will provide the 7E7's electric motor hydraulic pump subsystem. This is Hamilton's eighth supplier deal on the aircraft, increasing its total contract to over $6 billion over the programme's life.MURDO MORRISON / COPENHAGEN
Source: Flight International
