Overhaul firm Sabena Technics has secured approval for base maintenance on the Airbus A380 at its French facility in Bordeaux.
Sabena Technics, which has obtained the rating from the European Aviation Safety Agency, says it can house the A380 in one of the six hangars at Bordeaux.
The new approval will allow the company to perform structural parts repairs in the field or in its workshops, and to perform aircraft modifications and upgrades.
Sabena Technics chief Rodolphe Marchais says: "Bordeaux is also home to our VIP completion centre, so we are now ready to offer our cabin modification and completion services on A380 aircraft."
The company says its A380 hanger is "fully booked" until the third quarter of 2014. "We are now ready to take orders for 2015 and beyond, for which we expect the demand for two-, four- and six-year checks to bring a sustained level of business," says chief operating officer for customers Jean-Luc Fournel.
Sabena Technics believes the maintenance sector has "not yet caught up" with global A380 deployment. Ninety-two A380s had been delivered by the end of November 2012.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
