NEWS

AFI KLM E&M for Virgin Atlantic fleet

Virgin Atlantic and AFI KLM E&M have reached an agreement on A330neo support

n Virgin Atlantic has retained AFI KLM E&M services for a new fleet of Airbus A330neo aircraft.

The two partners announced that they have a new agreement dedicated to component support for an incoming fleet of A330neos. Virgin’s fleet will eventually comprise of up to 16 A330neos. AFI KLM E&M is already preparing to deploy its solutions to the first of the airline’s A330neos, which has been named “Billie Holiday”, as well as those set to follow. The services provided will include flight-hour repairs, access to a spare parts pool, and the provision of a Main Base Kit for Virgin Atlantic’s facilities in London.

Neil Ambidge, VP Engineering & Maintenance of Virgin Atlantic, said: “For over 20 years, AFI KLM E&M has shown itself to be a benchmark partner for our airline in the field of aircraft component services, providing highly effective support on our current fleets, as well as on our A330neos from October 2022.” Through this latest agreement, Virgin Atlantic is extending and renewing its confidence in AFI KLM E&M for the maintenance of the latest product to join its fleet, the A330neo. The Airline-MRO Group has amassed invaluable expertise and experience with new-generation longhaul aircraft.

Pierre Teboul, SVP Commercial at AFI KLM E&M, added: “the long history between our two groups illustrates AFI KLM E&M’s ability to build lasting partnerships with airlines, and to continue to deliver high-quality services across multiple products over the long term.”

Iberia Maintenance now supporting Pratt & Whitney GTF engine

n Pratt & Whitney has announced it will expand its global network of providers that maintain the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine to include Iberia Maintenance.

Iberia’s Madrid-based facility will service PW1100GJM engines for the Airbus A320neo family with full disassembly, assembly and test capability. Iberia Maintenance is the latest engine center to be announced in Europe within the GTF MRO network, alongside MTU Aero Engines and two Lufthansa Technik facilities in Germany; EME Aero in Poland; OGMA in Portugal; and SR Technics in Switzerland.

“With increasing engine orders, we continue to grow our MRO presence with capable, quality maintenance providers worldwide to ensure proximity and seamless service to our customers,” said Marc Meredith, Executive Director of GTF Engine Aftermarket at Pratt & Whitney. “Already a proven MRO provider for the V2500 engine, Iberia Maintenance’s skill and experience will be a strong asset to the GTF MRO network.”

Andy Best, Chief Technical Officer for Iberia said: “We are proud to receive Pratt & Whitney’s confidence and to take this strategic step in the development of our engine business, which will allow us to consolidate our position as a full-service provider in single aisle fleets while ensuring the continuity of our workshop at the forefront of the industry’s technology.”

Zilvinas Lapinskas, CEO of FL Technics

FL Technics and Norwegian go for synergy

n Global provider of aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, FL Technics and airline Norwegian have signed a five-year contract to spur synergies and growth potential in mutual operations.

Norwegian is aiming to improve the efficiency of its operations and reduce its carbon dioxide footprint with the purchase of 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. They will be delivered between 2025 and 2028. FL Technics invested in Europe-based wheels and brakes business to add a new service to its MRO portfolio with a clear competitive advantage of LEAN-based operations, its own supply chain solutions, and convenient locations for its facilities, including the wheels and brakes shops. Zilvinas Lapinskas, CEO of FL Technics said: “LEAN and efficient processes grant better business performance, yet it has an equally important impact on the sustainability of operations. Thus, we are glad that an increasing number of companies are taking this into account while developing business in aviation.”

Henrik Fjeld, SVP Technical of Norwegian Air Shuttle also emphasized the importance of this agreement: “From the onset of the tendering process, FL Technics shared our commitment to operate in accordance with responsible, ethical, sustainable and sound business principles, with respect for people, the environment and society.”

Flitetec takes hold of the situation

n Aircraft interiors specialist Flitetec launched new products and services including a partnership with SmartTray International to offer innovative holder solutions for personal electronic devices such as phones and tablets. Under the new partnership with SmartTray, Flitetec is able to modify and upgrade existing tray tables, arm and head rests and seat backs to incorporate costeffective and maintenance free device holders. It means smartphones and tablets are always in sight and within arms’ reach without needing to be held throughout a flight, providing greater comfort and ease of use for passengers. The modifications will be carried out and released with a Form 1 through Flitetec’s EASA or CAA part 145 licence. Flitetec has also completed an agreement to distribute Wamco’s aerospace lighting products and technologies, from cockpit instrument lights to reading lamps. Trevor Lea, Flitetec managing director, said: “Working with companies of the calibre of Wamco and SmartTray will allow us to provide even greater support for airlines, leasing companies and MRO service providers as they continue to face rising cost pressures and higher customer experience expectations.”

(Left to right) Sven Dicke, VP MRO Operation & Strategic Investment, Customer Support & Services of LiebherrAerospace & Transportation SAS, Andy Wheeler, DVP and Managing Director of AEM, Christian Franz, Director Customer Service of Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH and Markus Fritsch, Team Leader MRO Purchasing of Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH.

Liebherr-Aerospace and AEM sign MOU

n A Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on state-of-the-art landing gear maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services to Embraer E-Jet E1 operators in the EUMEA region has been signed by LiebherrAerospace and AEM.

The partnership enables Liebherr-Aerospace to off-load contracted landing gear work to AEM, an established MRO landing gear provider based in Ramsgate. This agreement will increase the number of available overhaul slots for E-Jet E1 aircraft, while the reliability of the service offer will be backed through the partnership between Liebherr-Aerospace and AEM.

Christian Franz, Director Customer Service of LiebherrAerospace Lindenberg (Germany), explained: “For our customers, this partnership generates more flexibility and availability in planning and selecting overhaul slots, which will optimize the fleet operation of our E-Jet E1 customers.”

Andy Wheeler, DVP and Managing Director of AEM, commented, “AEM is delighted to partner with LiebherrAerospace to supply E-Jet landing gear overhaul services. Our Ramsgate team has many years of experience in providing the quality of service that Liebherr-Aerospace’s customers demand. This partnership further cements AEM as a leading landing gear maintenance provider and complements wider landing systems capabilities offered by AMETEK MRO.”

www.amacaerospace.com

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Joramco signs with Spirit

n Spirit AeroSystems has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Joramco, the Amman-based maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider.

The MOU will explore cooperation in providing a wide range of repairs to and services of composite and metallic aerostructures to customers in the region. A team of engineers and experts from both companies will be formed to support the needs of operators, and shops, and develop new repair processes as needed. Joramco, based at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, has more than 50 years of experience and is certified by many international regulatory authorities including the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (JCARC).

“We are eager to begin structural repair MRO operations in the Middle East and look forward to working with Joramco,” said Kailash Krishnaswamy, Senior Vice President for Spirit AeroSystems Aftermarket Services. “Together, we will be able to offer better value to our customers in the region by leveraging our structural engineering expertise.”

Commenting on the occasion, Joramco CEO Fraser Currie said: “We at Joramco are proud to announce our MOU with Spirit AeroSystems. Our clients are accustomed to receiving high-quality maintenance and repair and this new development will further fulfill our promise to them. Together, we will explore exchanging expertise and improve our current services and acquire new ones that are in demand in the region.”

HAECO Global Engine Support joins ELMS Aviation network

n ELMS Aviation has announced that HAECO Global Engine Support has joined ELMS’ expanding customer network by utilising its Compliance & Competence Solution.

The ELMS Solution will be a core platform used to ensure the compliance and safety of HAECO Group’s engine services specialist in terms of managing, demonstrating and lifting the competence of HAECO GES working teams, enabling the business to maintain and further enhance its global service offerings while providing high level of transparency, integrity and visibility of personnel competence.

HAECO has recently expanded its Global Engine Support network to London and the Middle East. “We are thrilled to be supporting HAECO GES with our software product ELMS Solution.” said John Scale, General Manager of ELMS Aviation. “The global reach and nature of their business is well suited to the products’ capabilities, and we look forward to seeing HAECO GES business develop, along with the value, intelligence, and experience that their team will contribute, allowing us to further develop and innovate in the competence space.”

“The ELMS Solution will greatly improve HAECO Global Engine Support’s ability to monitor, evidence and record team competency, training and authorisations efficiently and accurately at our London base, ensuring full compliance in all aspects of our operations.” said Julian Potter, General Manager of HAECO Global Engine Support in London.

Wizz Air, Frontier, Volaris sign with Lufthansa Technik

n Lufthansa Technik sealed major new long-term contracts for the strategic component support of renowned ultra lowcost airline brands Wizz Air, Frontier Airlines and Volaris.

The new agreements take into account the three carriers’ rapidly growing fleets and the Total Component Support (TCS) they have signed up to encompasses services such as spare parts pooling and a maintenance, repair and overhaul coverage for thousands of part numbers. But their TCS will also include a more specialized service packages that directly address any airline’s individual requirements and tailor the contracted component supply accordingly.

“Wizz Air, Frontier und Volaris are impressive examples of successful ultra-low-cost carriers that are embarking upon ambitious growth plans. We feel honoured being chosen to accompany and support their success stories as an integral partner,” said Soeren Stark, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Technik. “The long-term extension of the components contracts with these three airlines not only underlines our competitiveness in a price-sensitive and more and more digitally-driven market, it also provides a significant boost for our components business in the Americas and Europe.”

Lufthansa Technik is working with ultra low-cost carriers to provide TCS services

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Condor Flugdienst takes flight with Lufthansa Technik

Condor Flugdienst and Lufthansa Technik signed a comprehensive contract for component support of the airline’s Airbus A330neo fleet.

Under the terms of the ten-year agreement, Lufthansa Technik will provide Total Component Support (TCS) for the Airbus A330-900neo aircraft that will join Condor’s fleet in the coming years. For Lufthansa Technik it is the first TCS contract for this modern longhaul type. The contract, which comes into effect on January 1, 2023, covers not only the classic supply of components but also various partspooling and logistics services, including the establishment of a socalled homebase stock at Condor’s operations center at Frankfurt Airport.

“The supply of necessary components for our new aircraft is an important aspect for the service entry and operation of the A330neo. The continued cooperation with Lufthansa Technik AG ensures for us a consistently optimal support according to the highest quality standards

(Left) Axel Schefe, Group Director Fleet Management at Condor. (Right) Kai-Stefan Röpke, Vice President Corporate Sales Europe, Middle East and Africa at Lufthansa Technik

in this area,” said Condor COO and Accountable Manager, Christian Schmitt.

Lufthansa Technik already provides reliable component services for Condor’s other Airbus and Boeing subfleets. The two companies also work together in many other maintenance, repair and overhaul areas, such as engine and landing gear maintenance. This year Condor also became the first airline customer for Lufthansa Technik’s HeatNow cabin floor heating system.

Revima predicts its future

n Revima, an independent APU and landing gear MRO specialist, announced the deployment of a predictive optimization solution to upgrade its supply chain, in partnership with Lokad.

This technology features probabilistic forecasting and differentiable programming. The goal is to reduce the turn-around-time for APU and landing gear repair and overhaul operations and to optimize inventory costs for spare parts. On the one hand, probabilistic forecasting applied to demand, lead time and scrap rate embraces the very high uncertainty and variability in aviation. On the other hand, differentiable programming allows to automatically extract patterns from complex supply chain processes, as found in the maintenance operations associated with aviation components.

Olivier Legrand, Revima Group President and CEO, said: “Aviation has been promised inventory optimization solutions since I started my career over three decades ago. However, every time, aviation proved too hard: too many parts, too many processes and too little volume. With Lokad, we have finally found a partner that can integrate the aviation expert knowledge of Revima’s teams right into our systems. And its’ AI, as ‘augmented intelligence’ for aviation, combines latest Artificial Intelligence technology with Data Scientists screening the data.”