Category: Commercial

Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) and Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Corp (Ameco), announced a new collaboration on Airbus Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversions.

Under the partnership, Ameco will carry out P2F conversions as a third-party service provider for EFW’s A330P2F program. Conversions will be carried out at Ameco’s facilities in Chengdu, China, with the first induction of an A330 aircraft scheduled in 2023.

“We are very pleased to gain a renowned partner in China through our latest collaboration with Ameco, which is well experienced in freighter conversions,” said Jordi Boto, CEO of EFW. “The partnership will support the strategy in positioning our freighter conversion programs as a solution of choice as well as cementing our strong presence in China, which is one of the largest and fastest growing aviation markets in the world.”

“We look forward to cooperating with EFW to support the market demand and to promote the air cargo industry development,” said Lun Chen, CEO of Ameco. “Conversions have always been a strategic product of Ameco. This cooperation will expand the P2F market and provide better service to our customers.”

EFW’s family of Airbus P2F programs — A320P2F, A321P2F and A330P2F — is developed in collaboration with ST Engineering and Airbus, with EFW holding the Supplemental Type Certificate and leading in the overall programs as well as marketing and sales efforts. The A330P2F program comes with two variants — the A330-200P2F and A330-300P2F — which are both equipped with advanced technology that offers airlines additional operational and economic benefits. The A330-200P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 61 tons of weight to over 7,700 km, while the larger A330-300P2F can carry a gross payload of up to 63 tons and a containerized volume of up to 18,581 cubic feet (526 cubic meters).

To meet the rising demand for freighter conversions, ST Engineering and EFW have set up new conversion sites in China and the U.S. to ramp up total conversion capacity. AMECO is the second third-party conversion house after Turkish Technic that EFW formed a partnership with for its A330P2F program.

AFI KLM E&M has made several key appointments recently. Formerly AFI KLM E&M’s business development director, Paul-Antoine Vivet is taking over from Franck Becker as head of AFI KLM E&M’s American sales team.

Holder of a Master of Science (MSc) in Aeronautical Engineering from the ESTACA and a double Executive MBA degree from Paris Dauphine University and the University of Quebec, Vivet began his career in 2002, working as an engineer at Thales in Los Angeles. Between 2003 and 2006 he pursued his professional development at the Airbus Group as an engineer and project manager. He joined Air France in 2006, where for three years he held the post of purchasing manager (Industrial and Logistical Resources). In 2009, he began a series of varied commercial and industrial roles at AFI KLM E&M, including general sales manager for Eastern Europe, then North America, followed by product line manager (Hydraulic and Pneumatic Products), then business development director from 2019. In addition, since 2022 he has been chairman of the board of directors at AFI KLM E&M Beijing Line Maintenance International.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to Franck Becker who has built up the trust of our American customers and successfully supported them over the years — including during the very difficult months our industry went through during the health crisis,” said Pierre Teboul, AFI KLM E&M’s SVP commercial. “I am convinced that Paul-Antoine is the ideal choice to take over and lead our ambitions; he knows the American operators and their needs, and will be a valuable partner for our customers to help them take full advantage of the recovery of regional and international traffic.”

Dominik Wiener-Silva has been appointed VP component services in Amsterdam, succeeding Maarten Koopmans. Previously, Wiener-Silva was managing director of EPCOR, the 100% subsidiary of AFI KLM E&M based in Amsterdam, specialized in APU and component support. Wiener-Silva will take up his new position as VP of component services in Amsterdam in January 2023. He will take over from Maarten Koopmans, who will be appointed managing director of KLM Cityhopper.

“Over the past year Dominik has worked on supporting business recovery in the wake of the pandemic and pursuing EPCOR’s growth strategy,” said Ton Dortmans, EVP KLM E&M. “Component services and its customers can rely on Dominik’s expertise and knowledge of the E&M business and his 20 years of experience in the MRO industry.”

Effective January 9, 2023, Heidi Haveman will assume the role of managing director of EPCOR, the 100% subsidiary of AFI KLM E&M based in Amsterdam, specialized in APU and component support.

In her current position working as director training engineering & maintenance, Heidi Haveman will take up her new position as managing director of EPCOR. She took over from Wiener-Silva. Haveman’s experience includes more than 20 years of operational, commercial, consultancy and management experience at KLM Engineering & Maintenance, Inflight Services, in the Operations Control Center, seconded to KLM Catering Services, as well as experience outside of KLM.

“I look forward to being part of the EPCOR family,” Haveman said. “It is very exciting to join a company that is so dynamic and innovative in serving its worldwide customers. With all the employees, continuing the development of products and the growth of EPCOR will be my priority.”

Boeing has awarded Lufthansa Technik a contract for sustainment services for the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) future fleet of four P-8A aircraft that will leverage commercial capabilities to improve readiness rates.

The contract is to provide Lufthansa Technik’s Total Component Support (TCS), a comprehensive component services program for the 737 covering more than 400 commercial common parts included in the configuration of the P-8A, a military derivative of the popular airliner. The group believes leveraging the 737 commercial market in support of P-8A international customers will allow smaller fleets easier access to necessary global supply chain inventory from the more than 4,000 737 aircraft operating today.

“Our collaboration with Lufthansa Technik is a strong example of how industry can work together to solve customer challenges and maintain high readiness rates,” said Torbjorn (Turbo) Sjogren, Boeing vice president and general manager, government services. “Our goal is to expand service offerings from a strategic German industry partner for additional P-8A customers to benefit.”

The TCS program provided by Lufthansa Technik allows the RNZAF to reduce investment in commercial common parts and improve aircraft readiness through access to the German company’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) global supply chain.

Boeing and Lufthansa Technik signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2021 to support Germany’s P-8A Poseidon fleet. The MOU expanded to a three-party agreement with ESG Elektroniksystem und Logistik in 2022.

“Lufthansa Technik is a long-standing partner with a long history of supporting Boeing aircraft around the world,” said Dr. Michael Haidinger, president of Boeing in Germany. “This new contract is a clear demonstration of our commitment to German industry and how we partner across the Atlantic and globally, shaping meaningful partnerships that ensure continued economic and industrial growth in Germany.”

Under Boeing’s Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) program, Lufthansa Technik also provides hardware support to the Italian fleet of Boeing KC-767A tankers and has facilitated outstanding aircraft availability for the Italian Air Force.

“As a renowned expert for Special Mission aircraft and a leading maintenance, repair and overhaul provider with decades of experience in servicing commercial Boeing 737s, we are delighted to soon start servicing New Zealand’s Poseidon fleet. The strong partnership with Boeing enables us to offer the best possible service level over the entire life cycle of the aircraft,” said Michael von Puttkamer, vice president special aircraft services at Lufthansa Technik.

In July 2018, the government of New Zealand announced the purchase of four P-8A Poseidon aircraft to replace their aging fleet of P-3K2 maritime patrol aircraft. The first P-8A to New Zealand was delivered December 2022, with three remaining aircraft to be delivered in 2023.

Deployed around the world with 155 aircraft delivered or in service, the P-8A is used for global anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and search-and-rescue operations.

The Av8 Group has added a second CMMS (coordinate measuring machine system) to their manufacturing process of PMA parts, providing a more efficient measure of larger parts which they say will increase the efficiency and value of its landing gear overhaul process.

The new CMMS measures with an accuracy of up to one ten-thousandth of an inch (less than a human hair). Both CMMSs are computer driven, which efficiently measures multiple parts at a time, while also being run unattended. This is the company’s second similar in-house machine and doubles the capacity of work that can be completed. This new machine is also faster, thus tripling the throughput of inspected parts overall.

Av8 says they produce thousands of parts every year and they all must pass through the CMMS, as the FAA requires 100% of the parts to be inspected under Av8’s current PMA authority.

“Av8’s ultimate mission is to overhaul landing gear as quickly and as efficiently as possible while maintaining unmatched value to our customers. We are constantly looking for additional ways to vertically integrate all operations currently done by outside sources. We plan on bringing grinding and machining operations in house very soon as well. This will be an ongoing effort for the company in the foreseeable future,” said Yoel Arnoni, CEO.

flydocs announced an extended agreement with Gulf Air. Under the five-year renewal, flydocs will continue to support Gulf Air with digital records management software for its fleet of over 35 aircraft.

Gulf Air and flydocs have had a long-standing partnership for five years, where flydocs has been providing a software service to support Gulf Air to manage its assets and lease returns. Gulf Air recently selected the world-leading engineering and maintenance MRO and will be looking to gain improvements in aircraft compliance management, utilizing the advanced features and interfaces available in the flydocs platform.

Commenting on the partnership, André Fischer, chief executive officer, flydocs said, “We are delighted to reaffirm our strong relationship with Gulf Air, which is a testimony to delivering advanced software, technical expertise, and exceptional support to our clients. In the last few years, our robust relationship has strengthened due to our aligned values and a strong drive to innovate the aviation industry. The unique digital-led solution we offer to our customers provides them with a seamless experience on our core records management platform. It is a privilege to be chosen as their asset solution partner of choice as that re-establishes their faith in us. We look forward to working with them to build upon the momentum we’ve developed so far and continue growing this collaborative relationship with Gulf Air.”

Captain Waleed Al-Alawi, chief executive officer, Gulf Air said, “Gulf Air is excited about the long-term continuation of our partnership with flydocs. Our technical and professional capabilities are a reflection of the success of our ‘boutique’ strategy and the ongoing enhancements to products and services. We’re committed to delivering the best information technology solutions to enhance and strengthen our business as we constantly work with the latest technologies to provide the best services to our customers, which is also why we chose flydocs. Since we migrated to a new engineering and maintenance MRO, this long-term arrangement with flydocs adds enormous value as we will benefit from the digital capabilities they provide to drive savings in both our cost and operational efficiencies.”

PTS Aviation marked its first year under StandardAero ownership with a flurry of new CFM56-7B and -5B engine transactions. PTS Aviation was acquired by StandardAero in December 2021. Founded in 1995, PTS Aviation has over 150 years of combined aviation management experience and significant expertise buying, leasing and selling engines, modules and high-quality used serviceable material (USM).

PTS Aviation’s latest engine transactions, all completed during the month of December, include the sale of a CFM56-7B26 engine to a third-party North American MRO; the sale of a CFM56-7B26 engine to a European customer, for delivery in January 2023; and the sale of a CFM56-5B4 to a North American engine lessor.

“These latest engine transactions cap off a busy first year for the PTS Aviation team under the ownership of StandardAero,” said David Blackburn, senior vice president – asset leasing and trading for PTS Aviation. “We have had great success this year in leveraging our engine leasing and USM services in support of StandardAero’s own CFM56-7B MRO capabilities in order to meet the needs of the global customer base, and look forward to further expanding these activities in 2023 as StandardAero introduces its new CFM56-7B hospital shop and test cell capabilities in Dallas-Fort Worth.”

PTS Aviation is headquartered in Miramar, FL, and is a supplier of high-quality serviceable engines and used serviceable material, exclusively targeting the CFM56-3B/C, -5A/B, and -7B engine market. StandardAero is an OEM-authorized independent MRO provider and a CFM International partner supporting the CFM56-7B from its 162,000 square-foot facility in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

United Airlines has named Maria Deacon senior vice president of technical operations, overseeing the carrier’s maintenance operations, ground service equipment and facilities maintenance, supply chain, technical services, and planning and strategy. Deacon will also shape the continued growth and investment in United’s Calibrate apprenticeship program, helping the airline expand and diversify its next generation of maintenance employees.

Most recently, Deacon served as GE Aerospace’s general manager of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). In her new role at the airline, Deacon will report to United’s Greg Hart, executive vice president and chief growth officer.

“Our ambitious United Next growth strategy provides a remarkable opportunity to leverage Maria’s unique skillset,” said Hart. “In her nearly 25 years at GE, she established an impressive record of supply chain and operational successes, and her approach to team culture has driven exceptionally high levels of accountability and execution that drove operational excellence.”

At the helm of GE Aerospace’s extended MRO network, Deacon was responsible for delivering revenue across a mix of more than two dozen global GE and partner sites worldwide. As general manager of CFM Services at GE, she managed the financial aspects of the largest in-service fleet in commercial aviation and the joint venture relationship for all CFM and LEAP engine services. In her role as general manager of supply chain at GE, Deacon led the ramp up of critical helicopter, fighter jet engines and spare parts for U.S. military operations among other key responsibilities.

Deacon holds a CPA from the University of Cardiff in Wales, U.K., and is a certified investment management accountant.

HAECO Xiamen participated in a ground breaking ceremony recently to commence the construction of its new aircraft maintenance facility at Xiamen Xiang’an International Airport.

Currently based at Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, HAECO Xiamen will relocate to the new airport to build the new hangar. Covering a total area of 537,300 square meters, including a construction area of 292,300 square meters and an apron area of 284,000 square meters, 18 new buildings will be constructed to include apron engineering, engine test bays, utility tunnel, aviation fuel supply and other outdoor works.

The company says their new maintenance facility will combine innovation, green design and advanced technology to achieve optimum energy utilization and operational efficiency. There will be 12 wide-body and six narrow-body maintenance bays as well as two separate painting bays to provide flexible parking for multiple aircraft types and different maintenance needs. Once the construction is complete, HAECO Xiamen will be the largest single span aircraft maintenance hangar in the world.

The construction project has been designed from the outset to optimize operational efficiency and maximize space utilization, helping to reduce aircraft maintenance turnaround times and improve punctuality to meet its customers’ maintenance schedules. The facility uses a center-axle design which connects the hangars and ancillary buildings, facilitating logistics management and resource sharing. The new maintenance facility will also feature state-of-the-art green measures including solar power, intelligent building management systems, intelligent lighting controls, water storage and air conditioning systems, as well as advanced wastewater and air treatment, with the goal of achieving gold certification under the LEED-NC (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction) rating system.

HAECO Xiamen says the new maintenance facility embodies their values of “putting safety first while delivering high quality products and services to its customers.” The group says it strongly believes in investing in innovative technology to bring long-term benefits to its stakeholders as well as fulfilling its social responsibility to the environment and the community while operating its business. As the largest single investment by the HAECO Group since its inception, it says the project demonstrates HAECO’s confidence in its continued investment in the Chinese mainland and its determination to contribute to the development of the region’s aviation industry through continuous business expansion.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has granted Lufthansa Technik a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that officially paves the way for the series modification of two Boeing 777 variants with the fuel-saving AeroSHARK riblet films. Through the STC, the subfleet-wide roll-out of this sustainability technology, developed jointly by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, can now commence at the launch customers Lufthansa Cargo and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS). The next modification layovers in Frankfurt and Zurich are already scheduled for early January.

AeroSHARK reduces the frictional resistance of the aircraft skin by using a special surface structure of microscopic ribs, the companies have dubbed “riblets”. As a result, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced by around one percent. For each Boeing 777-300ER operated by SWISS, this means annual savings of around 400 tons of kerosene and more than 1,200 tons of carbon dioxide. The slightly shorter Boeing 777F saves around 370 tons of fuel and 1,170 tons of CO2 each year.

A first AeroSHARK-equipped Boeing 777-300ER of the Swiss airline (HB-JNH), which also completed the flight test program for the now-received certification, had already begun daily operations in October using a temporary “Permit-to-Fly” from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) that was valid for this single aircraft only. The STC issued by EASA now allows Lufthansa Technik to serially apply the nature-inspired riblet films to any Boeing 777-300ER and 777F aircraft.

The AeroSHARK modification of HB-JNH already began at the end of August and culminated in STC flights with EASA on September 8 and 9. During these flights, detailed proof had to be provided that the AeroSHARK modification had no negative impact on the operational safety and handling of the Boeing 777. The STC flight was followed by several weeks of evaluation of the collected data and other documents, such as measured values from flow simulations. After recently completing its review of all submitted documents, EASA finally granted the STC.

“The approval of AeroSHARK for the Boeing 777 variants is an important step in the distribution of this new technology for more sustainability in air transport,” said Soeren Stark, chief executive officer of Lufthansa Technik. “With our partner BASF, we can now support our customers in making entire subfleets more climate-friendly. Moreover, we intend to realize the use of the new technology for further aircraft types. We are the only MRO company in the world to offer such solutions to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for commercial aircraft.”

“Realizing such a project is only possible through cooperation in partnership and great trust in each other’s expertise. Together, we have succeeded in developing a tailor-made solution that combines economic action and sustainability in equal measure,” explained Dr. Uta Holzenkamp, head of BASF’s Coatings division, also responsible for functional films. “With the Novaflex Sharkskin functional film, we are helping our customers to achieve their individual sustainability goals and in this way make aviation measurably more environmentally friendly.”

SWISS and Lufthansa Cargo will successively equip all twelve of their 777-300ERs and eleven 777Fs with AeroSHARK. They will be the first passenger and cargo airlines worldwide to optimize a complete subfleet with the riblet films. Once all Boeing 777s at Lufthansa Cargo and SWISS have received their AeroSHARK modification, they predict it will reduce the Lufthansa Group’s carbon footprint by more than 25,000 tons annually.

Lufthansa Technik and BASF intend to consistently develop AeroSHARK further for additional aircraft types and larger surfaces, so that in the future they can support airlines around the world in achieving their emissions targets. In initial model calculations, the sharkskin technology in its maximum expansion stage could even avoid CO2 emissions on the scale of up to three percent.