Danish turboprop overhaul specialist Cimber Air Maintenance Centre (CAMC) is aiming to dominate ATR maintenance in northern Europe and is looking at expansion opportunities in the USA.
Gavin Allen, managing director of CAMC, says the firm has doubled its third-party maintenance work since splitting from Cimber Air in May last year, with contracts from carriers such as Air Wales, Air Atlantique and Coast Air.
The facility can accommodate a single line of maintenance at a time, but as the company grows it is expecting to add extra hangar space and increase its workforce to attract the bulk of the European ATR fleet. “There are 120 ATRs within a 3h radius of our facility and 68 of them are without a contracted maintenenace facility,” says Allen.
Sister spares provider Cimber Air Support plans to open an ATR parts overhaul facility in the USA and, with CAMC, could acquire an existing maintenance, repair and overhaul provider in the New England area, says Carl Pedersen of Cimber Air Support. “Within 18 months we will have to establish ourselves in the USA. We’re looking at acquiring an existing Part 145-approved company,” he says.
Acquisition of a US facility is a priority as the ATR fleet grows in North America, driven by strong demand for ATR 42s and 72s in freighter configuration, and carriers such as Hawaiian taking the aircraft back into service. The joint Cimber facility will be based “near New York state” with sites in Massachusetts being evaluated, says Pedersen.
The company has also set a record time for carrying out the Aéroconseil-patented tube cargo conversion for the ATR 42 and CAMC is aiming to acquire some of the work filling the FedEx Express requirement, says Allen, which could be done in any eventual US facility. The company is also evaluating other aircraft types to supply parts for with the Bombardier Dash 8 and Embraer regional jets favourite, says Pedersen.
JUSTIN WASTNAGE/SONDERBORG
Source: Flight International
