Flight International online news 10:00 GMT: United Airlines is handing over heavy maintenance of its entire Boeing 777 fleet to Chinese maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company Ameco Beijing under a five-year deal.
The agreement is valued by Ameco Beijing at more than $30 million. Under the agreement Star Alliance carrier United’s 52 777-200/200ERs will undergo heavy maintenance visits (HMVs) in the Chinese capital. More than 50 HMVs are planned for the first three years and as many as 80 over the contractual period.
Ameco Beijing says the first aircraft under the agreement will arrive in Beijing in October. The MRO firm already performs 777 heavy maintenance work on aircraft operated by its main shareholder Air China.
The contract is a big win for Ameco Beijing, which is a joint venture between Air China and Germany’s Lufthansa, as it is the largest single contract it has ever secured from a North American customer.
News of the deal arrives as Ameco Beijing is forecasting double-digit percentage growth in revenue in the years ahead as it benefits from strong demand in the booming Chinese airline market and more work from international customers.
NICHOLAS IONIDES/BEIJING
Source: Flight International
