Max Kingsley-Jones/ABU DHABI
Gulf Aircraft Maintenance (GAMCO) is pushing forward with a programme to become a major force throughout the Gulf region, setting up regional maintenance divisions and absorbing Gulf Air's line maintenance worldwide.
Abu Dhabi-based GAMCO is 60% owned by the local government, with the remainder held by Gulf Air (in which Abu Dhabi has a 25% stake). The first development in GAMCO's expansion plans came with the recent agreement to form GAMCO Bahrain, in which it holds 51% and Bahrain Airport Services (BAS) the remainder.
GAMCO Bahrain will initially take over a two-bay hangar facility used by Gulf Air, capable of handling casualty maintenance and A-level maintenance checks. In the longer term, a new $80 million, 35,000m3 (1.23 million ft3) four-bay maintenance facility is to built by Bahrain International Airport Development (BIADCO), for lease to GAMCO Bahrain.
This new hangar should be ready for operation in early 2001, and will offer up to C-level checks. The design incorporates a VIP terminal enabling business aircraft handling and maintenance.
Alan Dollie, GAMCO's managing director and chairman of the new Bahrain division, says the new facility will enable Gulf Air to boost its A230 productivity. "It will eliminate the need for ferry flights to our Abu Dhabi facility for maintenance, and help us by freeing up some capacity there," he says. Dollie adds that GAMCO is in discussions to become a regional service centre for the Boeing Business Jet and Airbus A319CJ.
Dollie hopes to transfer the Gulf Air's entire line maintenance operation worldwide by April.
The next phase of GAMCO's expansion plans could see a joint venture formed with Oman Air Services in Muscat to provide regional aircraft maintenance service. Meanwhile, GAMCO is finalising plans to build a hangar to accommodate two Airbus A3XX-sized aircraft simultaneously to go alongside its plant in Abu Dhabi.
Source: Flight International
