Aircraft Supplier & MRO News

AirGuide Business, Sept 1, 2008

Jat Tehnika

Serbian maintenance firm Jat Tehnika insists its 900 personnel support privatization, but it has concerns over the intentions of potential investors. The company, based at Belgrade airport, is being 70% privatized in tandem with flag carrier Jat Airways. Jat Tehnika director of maintenance Djordje Kresovic says the company wants to ensure a new owner will support development: "We have a long history in the airline industry. We have excellent capabilities here." Last year operating profit was C[umlaut]407,000 ($599,400) on C[umlaut]22 million revenue. Jat Tehnika has licenses primarily for work on Boeing 737s, McDonnell Douglas DC-9s and ATRs. Aug 27, 2008

Lufthansa Technik

Lufthansa Technik Switzerland, formerly Swiss Technik, will launch operations under its new name on Oct. 1. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik. Aug 28, 2008

Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney has shipped its PurePower PW1000G GTF geared turbofan demonstration engine to Toulouse, France to begin a test program on an Airbus A340-600 testbed in mid-September. The testing with Airbus, the first manufacturer to fly the engine on its own flight-test aircraft, follows completion of the first phase of GTF testing by P&W on a company-owned Boeing 747 flying testbed. The engine completed 12 flights and ran 43 hours in tests focusing on performance and operability. Aug 28, 2008

Rockwell Collins

Rockwell Collins has opened a 2,790m[logical not]3/4 (30,000ft[logical not]3/4) facility at Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, Alabama to combine engineering, integration, simulation and training, product testing and support capabilities in a single location. Currently, Rockwell Collins has about 40 employees in Huntsville, and the new facility and expanded capabilities will attract more than 100 new high-skilled jobs to the area. "The staggering growth of the aerospace and defense industry in Alabama is redefining the economic development profile of the state," says Alabama Lt Gov Jim Folsom Jr. Aug 27, 2008

Rockwell Collins, Croatia Airlines, Bombardier

Rockwell Collins said Croatia Airlines selected its HGS Head-up Guidance System for the carrier's Bombardier DHC-8-Q400s plus two option aircraft. Aug 25, 2008

Singapore Technologies Aerospace

A company linked to Singapore Technologies Aerospace has paid A$120,000 ($100,000) to buy the Bruce Hartwig Flying School near Adelaide. ST Aero says the business was acquired by Aviation Training Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of ST Aviation Training Academy, for its aviation training licence, and that all other assets of the business, including aircraft, will be retained by the previous owners. The Bruce Hartwig school is based at Parafield airport near Adelaide. ST Aero says the business will be renamed ST Aviation Training Academy (Australia) and will be part of the flying school that Aviation Training Australia set up in Ballarat last September. Aug 30, 2008

Snecma

India's Gas Turbine Research Establishment has identified Snecma for the joint development of a new engine for the Tejas light combat aircraft. The French manufacturer is expected to provide the core for the new "ECO" engine, which will replace General Electric's F404-IN20. GTRE sources say 85% of manufacturing activities will be performed in India, with Hindustan Aeronautics to assemble the new powerplant. Meanwhile, the GTRE's troubled Kaveri engine, developed for the Tejas, could power a future unmanned combat air vehicle, sources say. Aug 26, 2008