We chart key recent market developments as part of our regular series of maintenance special reports

  • Air Canada parent ACE Aviation Holdings (ACE) has completed the sale of a 70% stake in its Montreal-based maintenance unit ACTS to private equity firms Sageview Capital and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. The company received net cash proceeds of C$723 million ($706 million) on closing. Within six months, it may receive up to an additional C$40 million from funds held in escrow, conditional on the completion of certain supplier contracts.
  • Lufthansa Technical Training is to establish a training centre in Singapore with Singapore's Temasek Polytechnic. The initiative will allow aerospace electronics and engineering students to become certified aircraft maintenance engineers more quickly. LTT and Temasek Polytechnic says that the LTT training centre, to be set up, this month will cater to students from Temasek and industry professionals.
  • Dutch carrier Martinair estimates that it has saved up to $2.2 million in fuel costs over the past year after conducting a year-long test of on-stand engine washing for its aircraft fleet. Martinair has been co-operating on the project with Pratt & Whitney and Amsterdam Schiphol-based Stella Aviation Technics, which claims to be the first independent maintenance company to offer an ecological package of services aimed at reducing environmental damage.
  • Turkish MRO facility Teknik Servis Sanayi Ticaret AS, which trades as myTechnic (W632) has selected Mxi Technologies' Maintenix maintenance management software. The system will provide myTechnic with engineering, shop maintenance, materials management, and finance functionality. Dalgar Çizmeci, myTechnic's chief financial officer, says: "Because myTechnic's major shareholders also hold stakes in ACT Airlines, they saw a need in the region for a third-party MRO that was customer-driven."
  • Goodrich is closing a gap in its international coverage with the opening of a 10,700m² (115,000ft²) MRO facility in Dubai. The new site, located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, is close to the perimeter of the gigantic new Dubai World Central airport, due to open in 2009.
  • Dubai plans to establish the world's largest MRO centre. It will be part of the Dubai World Central Aviation City, one of the key developments within Dubai World Central, the 140km² urban aviation, multi-phased development in Jebel Ali in Dubai.
  • Delta TechOps and Chromalloy have teamed up to strike the latest blow against CFM International's aftermarket business for the CFM56 family of engines. Under a 10-year, $1 billion agreement, Chromalloy and Delta will develop parts manufacturing approval (PMA) alternatives to dozens of CFM56-7 and CFM56-5 engines, including several life-limited parts. PMA alternatives are reverse-engineered and certificated versions of parts sold on the aftermarket by original equipment manufacturers.
  • Goodrich is to team with Turkish Airlines' Technic division to establish an Istanbul-based joint venture company to carry out maintenance, repair and overhaul work on nacelles. The so-called Goodrich HABOM venture expects to open a certificated repair station at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International airport in 2009, providing MRO services and support for Turkish Airlines' fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft as well as for other carriers throughout the region.
  • Modification work has begun in Singapore on the first Boeing 767-300 passenger aircraft that will be converted into a dedicated freighter under the airframe manufacturer's Boeing Converted Freighter programme. Singa­pore Technologies Aerospace was selected earlier this year by Boeing to carry out the first conversions, for airline launch customer All Nippon Airways, and the MRO company says in that major work has now begun with the first door cutting.
  • Kazakhstan's Air Astana is expecting to float part of its share capital on the financial markets within the next 18 months to raise funds for investment in maintenance, catering and other facilities. The carrier estimates that it needs $60-80 million to create additional maintenance areas, improve catering operations in cities such as Almaty, Astana and Atyrau, and possibly establish an aviation school.
  • Hungary has agreed in principle to host a maintenance centre for Russian-built Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional aircraft as the manufacturer moves closer to serial production.
  • Honeywell will provide avionics repair and spares management services for Singapore Airlines' fleet of 19 Airbus A380s under a 14-year contract. The airline began flying the world's largest commercial passenger jet with its first delivered aircraft in October and has orders for 18 additional A380s.

 

Related articles:

United colours
Phoenix reborn
Inside the engine market
Triple time twinjet
Tough on weather, soft on environment
Polymer coating stops Virgin Blue fading




Source: Flight International

Topics