Fokker Aviation is to take over LAB Asia Pacific's airframe-maintenance site in Singapore, in an effort to bolster flagging after-sales support for airlines in the region which are continuing to operate Fokker aircraft.
The Dutch company has reached an accord with LAB to take over the running of its two-bay hangar at Seletar Airport, from March. The French maintenance company has opted to vacate the site and concentrate instead on providing regional carriers with in-country engineering support.
"We've decided to change our focus from heavy maintenance to field support, at the same time as Fokker was looking for facilities in the region," says LAB Asia Pacific president Patrice Boursiquot.
LAB has been providing narrowbody maintenance at Seletar since early 1995, when it acquired the former Heli Orient's 5,000m2 (54,000ft2) hangar. It has been concentrating mainly on Fokker F27 turboprops and Fokker 100 or F27 regional jets, as well as on AI(R) ATR 42s and 72s.
There are about 300 Fokker aircraft still in service in the region, including about 120 in Indonesia. Some major operators, however, have begun to complain of deteriorating after-sales support from the Netherlands in the wake of Fokker Aircraft's bankruptcy.
Source: Flight International
