Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) Bedek division is to open a second maintenance facility in the USA. The company is targeting Continental Airlines as launch customer for the new unit.
The Israeli company's board has approved plans to establish a second facility in the US Mid-West or on the East Coast of the USA. Bedek already offers maintenance through its subsidiary, Commodore Aviation, at Miami International Airport.
David Arzi, general manager of the Bedek division, says the plan is to find an existing hangar complex that can accommodate up to eight narrowbodies and one widebody aircraft. Potential sites are already under consideration and negotiations are under way with the owners.
Bedek is talking to Continental Airlines about taking over its narrowbody airliner maintenance and Arzi predicts that up to 40% of the new facilities workload will be provided by the US airline.
Continental confirms that it is looking to outsource its narrowbody requirements to a single contractor and says that Bedek is a serious contender.
Arzi says that over the past five years, Continental has bought $238 million worth of services from Bedek. These include C and D checks on McDonnell Douglas DC-10s and Boeing 747s, and the overhaul of large numbers of engines.
Source: Flight International
