MROs and Completion Centers

To kick off this thread, there is news that Lufthansa Technik is looking to open a facility in Puerto Rico. They are actually aiming to open in July 2015. Approximately 7 months after the groundbreaking ceremoney took place last August, Lufthansa Technik’s 215,000-sq-ft hangar has been structurally completed, as has the floor slab for the first and second bay and most of the flooring of the workshops and offices. Completion of the internal walls, air conditioning ductwork, electrical conduits and piping is ongoing. “We are very happy with the progress of the overall project. Recruitment and training are constantly ongoing,” said Elmar Lutter, CEO of Lufthansa Technik Puerto Rico. “A highly motivated team will meet the first aircraft and we are confident that the recently extended training school system will provide a basis for the growing aerospace cluster in Puerto Rico.”

Tokyo's airports are starting to roll out hangar space and facilities for business jets. A former JAL commercial hangar was taken over by business jet company Wings Of Life at the Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport) last month. Narita also has business jet hangar space now as well. As time goes on more space will become available as Japan seeks to increase the space for Business jet aircraft ahead of the 2020 Olympics.

L-3 Aviation Products opens at Bengaluru MRO in India

L-3 Aviation Products has opened a brand-new manufacturing, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Bengaluru, India. “Our growing presence in India underscores L-3’s pledge to serve the Indian aviation sector,” said Krishen Ganase, president of L-3 Aviation Products. “Our new MRO facility places additional personnel in key technical and business roles in Bengaluru, and we’re continuing to broaden our reach in other ways to meet the evolving needs of aviation customers in the region.”

Business aviation services provider Gama Aviation is planning to build an operations and maintenance facility at Aberdeen International airport, as part of a strategic investment in its thriving Scotland-based business. The Farnborough-headquartered company has been active in Scotland for more than two decades, from where it has been supporting its business jet customers and the country’s health provider, out of two bases in Glasgow and one in Aberdeen. According Marwan Khalek, founder and chief executive of 33-year-old Gama, the new 1,700m2 (18,300ft2) facility “represents a logical yet important step in further strengthening our presence in Scotland to serve Aberdeen and the east coast”. If permission is granted, the base should open in 2016. (FG)

Jet Aviation Singapore says that it is now offering full parking services, including hangarage and flight department tenancies at its new facilities at Seletar Aerospace Park. Why Seletar and not Changi International? “There seems to be a clear market preference for Seletar over Changi since infrastructure and runway improvements were made last year”, according to vice president and general manager of Jet Aviation Singapore.

Jet Aviation Geneva recently received approval from the Indian authorities that now allows them to do base maintenance on Indian-registered Gulfstream and Bombardier business jets. The approval covers for Gulfstream, the Gulfstream IV/V/G200/G300/G350/G400/G450/G 500/G550/G650 and for Bombardier, only the Global Express series of jets.

Jet Aviation St. Louis gains approval from the FAA to make and stock/sell parts to customers. They can now manufacture and sell individual parts to customers and suppliers under the Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA). The PMA approval means Jet Aviation St. Louis can manufacture and stock parts customers can install themselves rather than having a 'professional' mechanic installation.

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced that it now provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for its operators at Jet Aviation’s Teterboro Airport facility in New Jersey. Gulfstream’s resources in Teterboro include 11 technicians along with support personnel. The technicians are authorized to work under a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) repair station authorization and will be managed by Gulfstream’s company-owned service center in Westfield, Massachusetts. “This is a great opportunity to enhance the support we offer our customers based at or traveling to Teterboro and the entire New York metropolitan area, one of the busiest corridors for Gulfstream traffic in the world,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “This location is an ideal addition to our product support network.” Gulfstream’s Teterboro-based team supports transient Gulfstream traffic and well over 100 operators based at New York-area airports, including Teterboro, Newark and Morristown in New Jersey and Westchester County and Farmingdale in New York. It works closely with Gulfstream Westfield, approximately 135 miles away.

SmartSky Networks and Jet Aviation St. Louis have signed an agreement to certify and install the SmartSky 4G LTE-based Internet system on the Global Express platform. Working together, Jet Aviation St. Louis and SmartSky will develop Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) for retrofit installations on those aircraft. SmartSky 4G will expand access to airborne Wi-Fi and provide more than 10 times the typical speed and capacity of existing networks, enabling streaming applications that other airborne networks have to restrict.

Gama Aviation says that it will phase out the Hangar8 and JetClub branding immediately. Duncan Daines, chief marketing officer, Gama Aviation said: “First of all, this change in no way effects the underlying legal entities that will continue to trade under the Gama Aviation brand; nor, in the short term, will changes be made to regulatory documentation without the Regulator’s full approval. Moving towards a single brand allows us to deliver a single, recognisable service standard across the world. Strategically this is important, as we believe the market requires scale, breadth and depth, driven through a singular focus that is unencumbered by managing multiple brands or service styles.” The announcement comes after a positive update from Gama Aviation saying that the two businesses have been successfully integrated and that the group is delivering on its planned strategic objectives.

Jet Aviation Basel announces they have extended maintenance for Falcon aircraft in Africa thanks to attainment of approvals from two African regulatory bodies. Both the Agence Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ANAC) in Gabon and the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DCA) in Namibia has approved Jet Aviation Basel to carry out work on Dassault Falcon aircraft.

PhilJets has recently gained an Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) license. The company is now certificated to service commercially or privately operated aircraft within Philippines. Thierry Tea, who is the managing director of PhilJets Group said: “This new license represents another step forward for PhilJets in its goal to develop a nose-to-tail approach to Aviation services in the Philippines and for all its customers.”

JetSupport in Amsterdam has added the Falcon 900EX to its maintenance portfolio since gaining approval. This adds to the approvals already treasured by them for the Falcon 900. Hopefully in Q3 of 2015, the company expects to gain approval to provide maintenance on Falcon 900EX Easy.

Randy Deal has joined Landmark Aviation as the Director of MRO Sales. He will oversee Landmark Aviation’s MRO sales division with the goal of increasing its avionics, interiors, airframe, wholesale parts, and AOG services. “Randy is an excellent addition to our team,” Landmark Aviation’s Vice President of MRO Skip Madsen said. “He has developed a track record of success in his career, and I am confident that he will work to exceed the expectations of our customers.”

Manion Aviation has been designated an authorized sales representative for Comlux America to provide MRO service sales for Bombardier aircraft. Jeff Manion, company CEO, said the Comlux agreement is expected to be great for his firm. “Comlux provides quality factory-authorized service for aircraft we are very familiar with, including the Bombardier Global, Challenger and all Learjet models.”

West Star Aviation will be opening an new MRO at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (KCHA) in Chattanooga, Tenn. The new facility is anticipated to have approximately 20,424 sq ft of heated as well as air-conditioned mixed-use hangar space. The front of the hangar will have 28-foot high doors. The new facility will house engineering, avionics, cabinetry and upholstery shop functions as well as administrative offices and parts storage.

Jet Aviation Basel has recently signed an agreement with Basel Euroairport authorities to expand its Completions production capacity to meet rising demand for services. Jet Aviation Basel is expanding its production operation within its Completions Center where the company produces industry-renowned furniture aircraft interior components and integrated systems for corporate and VIP aircraft interiors. The expansion includes establishing an additional 3,700 square meter facility dedicated to finishing and integration activities as well as increasing manufacturing capacity within its current Cabinet shop. Plans also include investments in equipment, such as CNC machines to support cabinet building and glue, spray and paint facilities to support finishing operations. The expansion will be completed in Q1 2016. “This production expansion builds upon our well-developed in-house capabilities and provides the added capacity required to continue delivering the highest quality products with the shortest lead times to our customers,” says Neil Snowdon, senior director of Production at the Jet Aviation Basel Completions Center. “It is an exciting project that underscores our long-term commitment to meeting our customers’ requirements with in-house expertise.”

Execujet Dubai has been granted FAA FAR 145 certification. This approval allows them to provide service to N-registered business jets from their UAE facility. “Our operating rules have always been governed by the regulatory guidance from the FAA so it is a great pleasure for our maintenance and safety standards to be formally certified. Sound maintenance is the foundation for a safe and efficient aviation industry and receiving this certificate not only shows our commitment to this fact, but also ensures that “N” Registered aircraft operating within the region obtain the desired support.” said Nick Weber, maintenance director at ExecuJet Middle East.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) granted Part 145 maintenance facility approval to Jet Aviation Singapore. The approval further expands the company’s maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities to support Chinese operators of Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft. For Gulfstreams, the scope of permissible work is to the largest possible checks on the GV (192 months) and GIV (144 months). Jet Aviation Singapore says, it and the Gulfstream Aerospace Service Center in Savannah, Ga., are the only two service centers to hold that degree of CAAC approval which makes them pretty exclusive. The authorization also extends to Bombardier Global Express series up to 20-year inspections and Challenger 604/605s up to 24-year inspections. In addition, interior services and approved outsourcing for paint are allowed. All in all, a very good addition to their capabilities.

Full Press Release from Jet Aviation

Jet Aviation Singapore has recently secured aircraft maintenance approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has granted Part 145 maintenance facility approval to Jet Aviation Singapore, expanding the company’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities to support Chinese operators of Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft. For Gulfstream aircraft, the scope of permissible work is to the largest possible checks on the GV (192-months) and GIV (144-months) aircraft. This renders Jet Aviation Singapore one of just two Gulfstream Aerospace Service Centers (GACs) in the world (the other in Savannah, Georgia) to hold this extent of CAAC approval. The authorization also extends to Bombardier Global Express BD700 series up to 20 year inspections and Challenger 604/605 series up to 24 year inspections. In addition, interior services and approved out-sourcing for paint are allowed, making Singapore an attractive location to feed major projects from this significant market. “I am extremely proud of my team for their collective efforts and dedication towards obtaining this Certificate,” said John Riggir, vice president and general manager of Jet Aviation Singapore. “This approval marks the start of a new era of Gulfstream support solutions for operators in the region from China and we look forward to working closely with them as we develop synergies with other authorized GACs to provide the highest service levels possible.”