An All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 aircraft experienced a minor electrical fault during a recent proving flight. However this was easily rectified since it was caused by an insufficiently turned nut in an electrical panel.
Air India is searching for an outside professional with a management background to head its aircraft repair business, says local media reports.
Air India’s maintenance arm was spun off into a separate profit centre in April.
Boeing and General Electric have notified airlines about a potential problem on 777 GE90-115B engines involving the 118 transfer gear boxes on engines made between September and March. Airlines have been told to inspect or replace the transfer gear boxes produced during the six-month period, ensuring that at least one engine on the plane has had an inspection or a replacement made before September.
The part, made by Italian company Avio SpA, are on about 26 in service 777-300ER jets and another 44 aircraft in production. There are more than 1,150 of the GE90-115B engines in service and the gearbox has been a reliable part for more than 15 years, GE said. The cause of the problem appears to be with an anomaly in the material that caused gears to separate, although the exact cause remains unknown, GE said.
GE is sending replacement parts to airlines.
Avtrade, a component support expert with UK headquarters and operations in Dubai, Moscow and Singapore specializing in tailor-made aircraft support solutions, has contracted DB Schenker to store, manage and provide local logistics services to support their Dubai and Singapore operations.
This will endorse Avtrade’s commitment to offer enhanced support to the Gulf and Asian carriers, contracted clients and local operators, plus provide all Avtrade customers in the regions with an exceptional level of service. Benefits include the ability to hold increased inventory of A320, A330, B737, B757 and B767 aircraft components, local storage with 24/7 availability, same time-zone support plus reduced transit and customs clearance times.
Jamie Brooks, Regional Sales Director, Avtrade says “I am delighted to announce Avtrade’s collaboration with DB Schenker for our logistics requirements in the Middle East and Asia. We have been extremely happy with their service and professional approach to managing Avtrade’s B737, B757, B767, A320 and A330 rotable inventory pool. With Avtrade’s components and DB Schenker’s AOG logistics capabilities we are well positioned to service our clients in the Gulf and Asia regions”.
David Harrison, Commercial Director, Schenker Limited, says, “having an established global operation for the aeroparts industry enabled us to offer a bespoke solution to Avtrade in the form of a ‘virtual warehouse’ all controlled from the UK for their worldwide distribution. Our Aerohub concept enables us to act as an extension of Avtrade’s business.”
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft has received European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) approval to extend its Part 21 G and J approvals to allow the company to work on any aircraft type for both design and manufacturing work.
For several years BAE Systems Regional Aircraft has had Design Organisation Approval (DOA) allowing it to carry out design work for different aircraft types.
The latest development is that the business has now received Production Organisation Approval (POA) from EASA which allows it to manufacture/produce a range of non-OEM aircraft parts as well as the manufacture of specified appliances for third-party companies under the European Technical Standards Order (ETSO).
Under these extended POA approvals BAE Systems Regional Aircraft can manufacture non-OEM aircraft parts, components and assemblies in both metallic and composite materials including electrical loom assemblies. It also covers aircraft equipment and systems, including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, fuel, and powerplant, plus furnishings and safety equipment.
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft is now also approved to manufacture/produce galley equipment, cargo pallets and containers, passenger and crew seats associated with an ETSO.
Jim McCulloch, Head of Compliance for BAE Systems Regional Aircraft said: “We can now support minor modifications/changes through our own Service Bulletins, while for major changes/modifications, such as mandatory avionics upgrades, we will provide this through a Supplemental Type Certificate.”
This extension to BAE Systems Regional Aircraft’s approvals means that the way is now open for the business to fully exploit its extensive engineering and supply chain expertise to win new business.
Graham Smith, Head of Business Development added: “We are in active dialogue with various parties on a range of different programmes covering equipment upgrades, replacement parts, minor and major changes/major modifications and supply chain solutions.
“While we are currently targeting mature mid-life aircraft such as the Boeing 737 Classic, the Airbus A320 family, the Bombardier CRJ700/900 series and the earlier Embraer E-Series, our capabilities apply to any aircraft”, he said.
Using its range of skills BAE Systems can identify the need for replacement parts for different aircraft types, design them or source them, arrange their manufacture, obtain certification and then support them through a variety of spares support programmes run by the business.
Under its extended ETSO approvals, BAE Systems Regional Aircraft can also work with emerging suppliers to help bring their products into the European and wider markets.
Graham Smith added:” The expertise we can now offer to new companies seeking to win business in Europe and further afield is that by using our airworthiness, technical and approval skills we can minimise the duplication of testing and analysis that would normally be required by new suppliers who do not have ETSO approvals. Once approved, we can then support the new product with a complete range of support services outside the supplier’s home market.”
GA Telesis and Finnair have signed an agreement whereby GA Telesis will acquire a part of Finnair’s Engine Services and employ 80 engine services professionals from Finnair’s Engine Services. The deal comprises of the sale of tools and the transfer of the personnel to GA Telesis Engine Services Oy. GA Telesis Engine Service Oy will rent their facilities from Finnair Facilities Management.
GA Telesis Engine Services (GATES) will begin operations at Helsinki Airport, offering repair and overhaul of General Electric CF6-80C2, CFM International CFM56-5B and -5C, and Pratt & Whitney PW2000 jet engines. GATES is the only operation of its kind with direct trucking routes to the Russian and Eastern-European markets.
“We welcome GA Telesis to Helsinki Airport, and are happy for the continued employment offered to the dedicated professionals who will form the core of GATES”, says Jaakko Schildt, Vice President, Technical Operations, Finnair. In summer 2012, Finnair announced it will discontinue its own Engine Services operations at Helsinki Airport, as the company focuses on its core airline operations.
“We have always been impressed by the quality of the Finnair Engine Services team, and look forward to commencing our operations with this team of dedicated professionals” commented Abdol Moabery, President & CEO of GA Telesis, LLC.
GA Telesis is one of the world’s largest providers of products, financial services and supply-chain solutions to the aerospace industry.
Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL), the award-winning independent aircraft maintenance provider and a division of The Monarch Group, has reached another key milestone in the construction of its new 110,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art maintenance facility, at Birmingham Airport in the UK.
Since the ground-breaking ceremony in January, work has continued at a pace on the hangar build, with the largest and heaviest component of the entire build – the ‘valley truss’ beam – measuring 4.2m deep and spanning 66m and weighing approximately 80 tonnes, now being installed.
Commenting on this milestone, Mick Adams, Managing Director of MAEL, said: “The development of our new hangar at Birmingham Airport continues to define a new airport landscape and we are extremely pleased that the project remains on target. We are now working hard on the detailed requirements for all aspects of the operation to ensure that we are ready for the first aircraft to enter our facility in November.”
Will Heynes, Development Director of Birmingham Airport, said: “This development is a significant addition to our infrastructure. It enhances our offer of world class facilities and supports our ability to offer more skilled jobs in the region. The programme is progressing well thanks to the great efforts of all parties involved and we look forward to welcoming the first jet into the new hangar this November.”
British Airways Engineering, a Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) provider, is expanding its commercial Learning Academy to help customers as they bring Boeing 787s and Airbus A380s into their fleets. The first such course targets engineers wishing to qualify in 787 B1/B2 maintenance theory with the Trent 1000 engine. The first commercially available course, which commences on June 3, 2013, has openings for 16 students and will run for 35 working days.
The 787 training course and state-of-the-art classroom built to Boeing specifications is ideal for the commercial market, and draws heavily on British Airways Engineering’s extensive firsthand experience in aircraft maintenance.
The training rooms are equipped with virtual technology that is able to simulate aspects of the aircraft’s mechanical and avionic systems behaviour. This means engineers can explore and understand the workings of the 787 without having to leave the classroom. The facilities are capable of supporting more than six training sessions per year, scaled to cater for the high demand British Airways Engineering anticipates. Following the deployment of British Airways’ own 787 fleet, British Airways Engineering plans to offer additional training for the practical elements of the qualification.
Having already run the course for its own engineers, along with a sister course for the Airbus A380, British Airways Engineering is the first approved training school in the world able to deliver B1/B2 training for both the 787 and A380. It intends to offer A380 B1/B2 training on a commercial basis later this year.
David Smyth, Engineering training manager at British Airways Engineering, commented: “With so many operators integrating 787s into their fleets in the coming years, there will be a huge demand for associated training courses. We have invested heavily in our training infrastructure and personnel over the past few years to ensure that we are well placed to take advantage of this commercial opportunity. Our mix of operational experience and skilled instructors will prove highly beneficial as we launch these services. We have already run the 787 course four times for British Airways engineers, meaning that our customers will benefit from what is already a mature course.”
Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL), the award-winning independent aircraft maintenance provider and a division of The Monarch Group, has recently completed a cabin reconfiguration modification for the Greek airline, Astra Airways.
Under the terms of the agreement Monarch’s Part 21J Design Organisation Approval, Monarch Design Services provided a modification which was successfully embodied on their Airbus A320 aircraft.
Commenting on the agreement, Keith Earnden, Engineering Director for MAEL said: “We have vast experience in the field of aircraft cabin modification and we are delighted to work with Astra Airways. It gives us great pleasure welcoming new customers to our existing portfolio and look forward to maintaining this close working relationship with them in the future.”
Kostas Drizis, CAMO Manager for Astra Airlines said: “I would like to thank MAEL for the excellent work carried out on this modification. We have been working closely with them in the development of this modification, their professionalism and expertise is testament to their Part 21J organisation.”
The business and assets of Aero Inventory (UK) Limited (in administration) (trading as aeroinv.com) were acquired by Diversified Aero Inventory (part of the DASI Group) on 16 April 2013.
The aeroinv.com business will continue to operate as before and you can continue to place orders via the telephone or the web in the usual way. All future orders will be accepted and fulfilled by the business as normal.
DASI has been supplying the aviation industry for over 20 years and today’s acquisition broadens substantially the market proposition of the combined businesses. “We now have a global platform for growth fed by a substantial and diverse inventory portfolio. In addition, we welcome a high quality, experienced and dedicated team to the DASI family,” the company said in a press release.
