The latest
news from
maintenance,
repair and
overhaul
providers80 AIRLINER WORLD JUNE 2018
MRO
ATR Support for Mandarin
China Airlines subsidiary, Mandarin
Airlines and ATR have concluded a
global maintenance agreement (GMA)
for the Taiwanese carrier’s fleet of nine
ATR 72-600 turboprops. This compre-
hensive support package covers the
repair, overhaul and pooling services of
line replaceable units, with the manu-
facturer also transporting spares to the
airline’s facilities. This contract marks
a key milestone for ATR which now has
more than 300 in-service aircraft
covered under GMAs.
Jenny Tsao, president Mandarin
Airlines, commented: “In terms of main-
tenance and repair, the ATR GMA allowsus to minimise our own stocks while
maintaining an adequate level of pro-
tection. The delivery time for parts is
very short, which means easier budget
control for us and enhanced efficiency.”
The agreement is part of a broader sup-
port package being provided by ATR
which includes a full range of technical
and engineering maintenance services,
training solutions for the airline’s flight
crew, mechanics and technicians. The
Franco/Italian manufacturer is also
supporting China Airlines and its
subsidiaries to establish in-house
capabilities for ATR heavy maintenance,
up to C-checks. (Photo ATR)First
ACJ319neo
Completion
for Fokker
Techniek
GKN Aerospace business unit, Fokker
Techniek is set to carry out the world’s
first VIP completion of an Airbus
ACJ319neo after being selected by
long-term customer German charter
operator K5 Aviation. The work will
start in May 2019 once Airbus has
completed the aircraft and it is
scheduled to be ready for delivery
in early 2020.
Luca Madone of K5 Aviation com-
mented: “Awarding Fokker Techniek
this prestigious project was a logical
continuation of the existing relation-
ship both companies have from
previous projects. We believe Fokker
will deliver again on time. It will have
a modern interior with the focus on
saving weight and will include the
latest in inflight entertainment and
communications technologies.”
K5 Aviation currently operates three
ACJ319s and two Bombardier Global
Express aircraft and has one more
ACJ319neo and a Global 7000 on
order for delivery in 2019.Middle East
Success
Jordan’s flag carrier, Royal Jordanian,
has signed a component services
contract with Spairliners, the joint
venture between Air France Industries
KLM Engineering & Maintenance
and Lufthansa Technik, covering the
carrier’s E-Jet fleet (three E175s and
two E190s). The contracted services
include streamlined supply chain
management, pool access, repair
management and tailored logistics
services for line replaceable units
(LRUs) from its components pool and
logistics hub in Paris, France as well
as its central spare parts warehouse
in Munich, Germany.
Stefan Pichler, Royal Jordanian CEO,
remarked: “As an airline focusing on
process optimisation, cost improve-
ment and profitable growth, we are
pleased to have selected Spairliners
as our partner. They are ready to
offer us their customised product
services, attractive cost scheme and
their long-term experience in
supporting our E-Jet aircraft.Testing Te c h n o l o g y
Lufthansa Technik Malta is trialling the
latest technology in aircraft maintenance
and overhauls – from drone-based
inspections of aircraft skins to mobile 3D
scanners to exoskeletons. The company
has established a standalone innovation
bay where it will focus on reviewing the
latest ideas with the objective of proving
the technologies and integrating them
into the work process and then rolling
them out to all Lufthansa Technik base
maintenance locations.
The German MRO provider is co-
operating with start-up and established
technology companies. It is already
trialling innovative mobile 3D scanners
for making detailed measurements ofstructural damage of aircraft skins. In
addition, it is examining a solution for
drone-based inspections of fuselages
negating the need for platforms, while
for its engineers it is looking at several
different exoskeleton designs that can
relieve them of physically strenuous
work during production.
Marcus Motschenbacher, CEO of
Lufthansa Technik Malta, commented:
“Our aim is to improve our base
maintenance processes. This enables
us to guarantee the same quality and
standards at the highest technological
level throughout the Lufthansa Technik
Group’s network.”
(Photo Lufthansa Technik)