British Airways is looking to make massive savings through the extensive use of controversial parts manufacturer approved (PMA) replacement aircraft parts instead of sourcing them from the original manufacturer.
Speaking at "The Great PMA Debate" event at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London, Ameet Bhalla, BA's technical manager, airframe systems, explained that the strategy follows on from a deal signed in May with Heico, the world's largest independent designer, manufacturer and distributor of US Federal Aviation Administration- and European Aviation Safety Agency-approved replacement parts for jet engines and aircraft components.
This will see the Florida-based business exclusively manage BA's alternative parts programme helping the airline maximise savings through using alternative aircraft parts.
"Through this deal with Heico, we will actively seek PMA opportunities going forward. We will no longer be the cash machine for OEMs [original equipment manufacturers]," said Bhalla.
"Contrary to popular belief, PMA parts have been used for many years within BA. There has been an approval process since 1997 and hundreds of PMA parts are now in use. In 2006 alone, 28 new PMA parts were approved," he says.
"These are not bogus parts but approved by the very same regulatory authorities that approve OEM aircraft parts. BA reviews all applicable PMA parts and approves each one on a case-by-case basis. Once installed, the parts are monitored for any defect trends and we note failure modes of PMA parts to check that they are similar, if not the same, as their OEM equivalent," he says.
Bhalla said BA will focus on exploring the potential of 95% of Heico's inventory that are non-critical items.
"There has been no overall financial saving target set but we have said that we will openly entertain the PMA concept and would consider putting non-critical PMA parts on any of our aircraft," he says.
James Bennett, Heico European sales director, told Flight International: "Historically BA, while not anti-PMA, could not be said to be advocates either. They are well known as being extremely conservative as an airline but the move by Lufthansa [a stakeholder in Heico] was seen in the industry as an extremely successful move to keep the OEMs in check."
"BA must certainly be looking in the region of saving between 30-40% off OEM list prices and will be focusing on high-cost items. Heico will head that PMA management process and review together with BA where further PMA applications can be used. We will be the fulcrum for BA to explore PMA."
Source: Flight International
