Aircraft Supplier & MRO News

Airguide Online, August 27, 2007

Aug 27, 2007

International airline industry shortens pilot training program. The first student airline pilots using a new curriculum will shortly receive their multi-crew pilot licenses. Industry regulators and observers are split on their views of the new training method, which requires far less air time than traditional training and features more time in a flight simulator. Aug 23, 2007

Air China

Air China will invest CNY5 billion ($657.9 million) to establish the country's largest flight simulator training base. It will be located in Shunyi District in suburban Beijing. CA reached a deal with district authorities yesterday. The complex will comprise 30 full-motion flight simulators, eight fixed-base simulators, a cabin crew training center, MRO training center, ground-handling service training center and other relevant support facilities that the airline said will help reduce its long-term dependence on foreign training resources. CA's current fleet numbers 207 aircraft and it expects that to rise to 306 by 2010. Aug 23, 2007

Boeing

The Moscow Times reported that Boeing announced the creation of a joint venture with VSMPO-Avisma to produce titanium components for the 787. Ural Boeing Manufacturing will be based near Yekaterinburg, the paper said. Aug 23, 2007

Bombardier

Bombardier opened a support office at Tokyo Haneda to provide technical and customer assistance to CRJ and DHC-8Q series operators in the region. It also is scheduled to open a spare parts depot for CRJ and Q series aircraft at Narita in the fourth quarter. Aug 24, 2007

China Airlines, Boeing

China Airlines Boeing 737-800 CFM56 engine fuel pipes are made of metal and have a diameter of about three centimeters. They are strong enough not to rupture under high pressure and curved sections are connected using joints. The Boeing 737-800 had such joints in several locations, held in place by metal bolts passed through rubber O-rings to prevent fuel leaking through gaps. The thickness, material and replacement date of O-rings are clearly determined so that fuel, lubricating oil, water or other fluids does not wear away the components they protect. The component may deteriorate if the wrong type of O-ring is fitted. Aircraft always undergo a heavy impact during landing. A great deal of force is exerted on the pylons, which shake violently when planes decelerate to land. These vibrations also affect the fuel pipes. The accident investigators believe that before the accident, the joints on pipes that pass through the inside of the pylon came loose, making it likely the joints were jerked far out of position when the plane landed at the airport. Aug 23, 2007

China Airlines, Boeing, CFM International

The crashed China Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet's engines were made by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric and Snecma, a Japanese Transport Ministry official said. But he said it was not clear whether the engine was to blame for the accident. Aug 20, 2007

Finnair Technical, Lufthansa Cargo

Finnair Technical Services and Lufthansa Cargo signed a maintenance agreement covering airframe MRO of two MD-11 freighters. The deal includes an option for two additional airframe maintenance visits in 2008-09. Aug 20, 2007

Finnair Technical, World Airways

Finnair Technical Services announced an agreement with World Airways covering airframe maintenance on two of World's three DC-10-30s. Aug 24, 2007

Hawker Pacific, Bombardier

Australia's Hawker Pacific is a recognized service facility for Bombardier DHC-8 Dash 8 and Q series aircraft. C checks and other heavy maintenance will be performed at HP's Cairns shop. Aug 24, 2007

Singapore Technologies Aerospace, Airbus

Singapore Technologies Aerospace said it became the first company in Southeast Asia to receive a Design Organization Approval from Airbus parent EASA, enabling STA to approve and perform engineering design work on EU-registered aircraft. Aug 23, 2007

Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines is to acquire its Swiss AviationTraining operation in full. Manfred Brennwald has been named as the unit's new CEO. Swiss AviationTraining (SAT), SWISS's flight and aviation training operation, has been run as a 50/50 joint venture with GCAT Flight Academy UK Limited (GCAT), formerly GE Commercial Aviation Training Limited, since SWISS was established in 2002. SWISS is to acquire GCAT's 50% holding in SAT, making the operation a wholly-owned SWISS subsidiary. The acquisition was triggered by the change of control which occurred when GCAT was acquired by STAR Capital Partners Limited in February 2007. The parties agreed not to divulge the further terms of the transaction. Aug 23, 2007

United Airlines

United may spin off maintenance service. Officials at United Airlines are considering changing the ownership structure of the carrier's maintenance arm, which also serves about 150 other airlines. "We are contemplating bringing in third parties who can invest in the maintenance, repair and overhaul business," said a United spokeswoman. Aug 23, 2007