Locatory.com says it has been observing a particular boom in the EASA Part 145 certification in the Ukrainian MRO market. The rising demand for the Part 145 approval reflects the ongoing successful fleet development in the CIS region. If the regional MRO companies pass the certification process successfully, local market players will be given more opportunities to receive aircraft maintenance services within the country or the region without the need to send an aircraft to be serviced in Europe. As a result of such MRO market development, the demand for Western-built aircraft spare parts and components is also expected to increase.
There are about 1000 aircraft of various types currently registered in Ukraine; approx. 83 percent of them are still being operated. According to the national CAA, the region’s commercial fleet is operated by 40 local companies which own the Aircraft Operator Certificates, 29 of them provide commercial passenger and 22 – cargo transportation services.
‘Without any doubt, the Ukrainian market has great development potential, including that in the segments of aircraft MRO and spare parts. Having performed almost 500 000 flights to and from the country in 2011 alone, both local and foreign operators form a huge potential client base for the Ukrainian MRO providers. Though currently only a few organizations own the EASA Part 145 certificate, many local MRO providers seek to pass the certification, which would allow them to service Western-built aircraft,’ comments the CEO of Locatory.com Zilvinas Sadauskas.
Approximately half of the aircraft fleet operated by commercial airlines registered in Ukraine are Western-built. In addition, over 50 foreign airlines carry passengers or cargo to and from the country, so the possibilities for the local market to develop are practically second to none.
Currently there are about 140 Maintenance Repair Organizations in the country but only four of them are EASA Part 145-certified. However, many companies have already realized that obtaining the Certificate is literally vital for them. Today a large number of air carriers prefer to lease aircraft from leasing companies rather than go through a difficult acquisition process on their own. But lease agreements usually have strict aircraft maintenance specifications, including the requirement for potential MRO organizations to posses Part 145 approval.
‘We are constantly monitoring and analyzing our markets, and our experts have noticed a natural increase in the volume of Part 145 Certification processes in Ukraine. Though it will take time before the market will see an actual increase in the Part 145-approved organizations, the scope of the Ukrainian-based MRO services for Western types of aircraft will certainly grow in the upcoming years. Alongside such development, the demand for spare parts and components will rise as well. In order to make both the scheduled and the AOG-related parts procurement processes smoother, the Ukrainian industry players will have to improve the cooperation with both Western and local suppliers so that the market demand remains satisfied,’ commented Zilvinas Sadauskas.