Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) is in negotiations with Russian airline Transaero to set up a maintenance centre at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.
The Bedek division of IAI has been maintaining Transaero's fleet of Boeing 757s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s since 1993, with Bedek technicians performing line maintenance in Moscow. Heavy maintenance is undertaken in Bedek's home base in Tel Aviv.
The rapid expansion of Transaero, and the potential for additional maintenance work in Sheremetyevo, has encouraged the two sides to begin negotiations.
The Russian airline, which posted another set of heavy losses last year, has purchased a site on the airport where it plans to build a hangar.
"Our fleet is not big enough to support such a centre, so we want to offer services to other airlines and need to link with an established partner," says Transaero chairman, Alexander Pleshakov.
Source: Flight International
