Malaysia Airlines' maintenance and engineering arm MAS Aerospace Engineering (MAE) has signed a three-year maintenance support agreement with Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet.
Under the agreement, MAE will perform 'C-checks' and 'D-checks' for the airline's fleet of 19 Boeing 737 aircraft, as well as future aircraft, from 2010 to 2013.
SpiceJet plans to add 12 more Boeing 737s over the next two years, says MAE.
The airline's aircraft will first be serviced at Kuala Lumpur's Subang airport, but will be sent to Hyderabad when a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility there is ready by the first quarter of 2011.
MAE and GMR Hyderabad International Airport have formed a joint venture MRO firm in Hyderabad to provide airframe MRO services.
SpiceJet will be one of the first customers of the facility, which can handle between 60 and 80 aircraft annually, says MAE.
"The aircraft will be serviced on the subcontinent, allowing SpiceJet to enjoy even more cost savings and reduced downtime for each aircraft," says MAE's managing director Roslan Ismail.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
