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October 2017 Vol-1 Issue-3
Seaplanes to make a come back
A QUARTERLY NEWS DIGEST FOR INDIAN MROs
AERO MRO DIGEST
A UNITING FORCE FOR THE INDIAN MRO INDUSTRY
Air travel for Shirdi pilgrims
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 A October 2017
CONTENTS
COVER STORY :
(06) President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates
Shirdi Airport
(07) Seaplanes to decorate Indian skies soon
IN THE NEWS :
(01) Trujet taking bigger steps for a greater India
(02) Air India’s MRO: A growth prospective for the
flag-carrier
(03) India’s ever-growing aviation traffic changes
Boeing’s forecast
(04) No AOG due to Engine issues, P&W assures
(08) Indian civil and defense MRO has begun
its vertical journey (10) Livewel Aviation interested in Air India’s ground handling operations
(11) Component storage facility, a requisite for
Pune Airport
NEW APPOINTMENTS :
(13) Rajiv Bansal – Air India
(13) Damon Bowden – AerSale
AVIATION EVENTS :
(12) International Aviation Forecast Summit
(12) JETNET iQ Global Business Aviation Summit
(12) JetExpo Moscow 2017
(12) Aircraft Asset Management Seminar 2017
Disclaimer : The views expressed in the articles are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the publisher or the publishing house. Unless otherwise noted,
the author writes in his/her personal capacity. They are not intended and should not be thought of, to represent official ideas, or policies of any agency or institution mentioned thereof. The
information in this newsletter is for information purposes only. MRO Association of India assumes no liability or responsibil ity for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for
any actions taken in reliance thereon. The information contained about each individual, event or organization is known to have been provided by such individual, event organizers or organi-
zation without verification by us. Sources of information may vary. Feedback is welcome.
BUSINESS DECLARATION :
(01) Boeing and China Airlines signs MoU to set up
MRO Facility
(03) Storm Aviation launches Base Maintenance
Services
(04) AFI KLM E&M to support Delta Airlines
(04) AAR to acquire two MRO facilities
(05) EgyptAir E&M acquired ECAA approval for
CFM56-7B
(05) HAL to supply 41 Advanced Light Helicopters :
MoU signed
(05) Able Aerospace to begin MRO services in India:
DGCA certification acquired
(08) Joramco adds Boeing B737 Max to its services
(08) ATR announced deals with Phitek for IFE streaming
(10) SITAONAIR to deliver personalized IFC experience
to Emirates passengers
(12) New IFEC suppliers announced for Embraer’s
E-Jets E2
LATEST TRENDS :
(02) Spirit AeroSystems introduces New Composite
technology
(05) AeroMexico goes live with AMOS software
(09) Jupiter’s moons exploration tests initiated in
Germany; JUICE radar antenna tested
Publisher : MRO Association of India
Office : MRO Association of India, 402, Wellington Business Park 2, Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai-400059 India
Email: [email protected]
Website : www.mroassociation.in
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 1 October 2017
Trujet taking bigger steps for a greater India
AVIATION in India is a forever flourishing sector, as the
demand and the supply rises day by day. To up the ante,
the Government’s ‘Regional Connectivity Scheme’ initia-
tive UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), has everybody’s
pulse racing. With this scheme, Government has aimed to
make air transport available to the un-served or under-
served airports. This scheme will play a major role in mak-
ing India as the third largest in the global Aviation market
by 2020 and the largest by 2030, as speculated.
Turbo Megha Airways Pvt. Ltd. which operates under the
brand name ‘TruJet’, has stood out as a competent com-
petition when it acquired 18 routes under the UDAN
Scheme. TruJet airlines, currently, flies within 10 destina-
tions, from 6 states, which includes Aurangabad, Benga-
luru, Chennai, Cudappah, Goa, Hyderabad, Nanded, Ra-
jahmundry, Turipati and Vijaywada. They have planned to
expand their fleet to 7-8 aircraft from the existing 4 air-
craft, which are the ATR-72 model aircraft, by the end of
current financial year. Trujet, which was started with an
aim of connecting Tier-2 cities, and has planned on servic-
ing middle-class travelers and pilgrims, will certainly re-
ceive more exposure, given its increased felt and routes,
under the Regional Connectivity Scheme. While address-
ing the PTI, the Managing Director of TruJet, Vankaya-
lapati Umesh, said that, “We are looking to launch all 18
routes under the regional connectivity scheme by the end
of next month.” TruJet is one amongst the five Airlines, to
fly under the Regional Connectivity Scheme Phase 1,
which connects 70 airports. Other airlines are Alliance Air,
SpiceJet, Air Odisha and Air Deccan.
Boeing and China Airlines signs MoU to set up MRO Facility
A memorandum of understanding has been signed be-
tween Boeing and the largest airline in Asia, China Air-
lines, with an intention to explore the airline’s capabilities
to deliver towards the MRO market in Asia. Boeing is ex-
pected to provide maintenance training and technical
support, to aid the airlines capability of servicing the Boe-
ing products. Additionally, Boeing has also planned to
work with China Airlines to empower it to be an approved
supplier for Boeing. Once the airline receives the approv-
al, it will be able to place its bid for acquiring work on a
wide range of products and services, offered by Boeing.
“We are pleased to further extend our partnership with
The Boeing Company. This MOU with Boeing provides a
platform that will allow us to enhance the world-class
capabilities of China Airlines Group. We look forward to
contributing to the steady growth of commercial aviation
in Taiwan, as well as the rest of Asia.” said Ho Nuan-
Hsuan, Chairman, China Airlines. Ihssane Mounir, senior
vice president, Sales and Marketing, Boeing Commercial
Airplanes, commented that China has been a prominent
partner of Boeing for more than 50 years, and this collab-
oration will further enhance China Airline's capabilities in
maintenance and engineering. Ihssane Mounir added by
saying that this relation will also allow the airline to de-
velop and deliver world class maintenance service to air-
lines around the globe, besides adding value to Boeing’s
network of global supplier partners.
With a prediction that 40% of the future market demand
for commercial aircraft would be from the Asia-Pacific
region, this alliance of Boeing and China Airlines in the
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 2 October 2017
the largest market, will provide flexibility for global air-
lines customers, and it will also contribute towards Tai-
wan’s growing commercial aviation industry.
Air India’s MRO: A new growth prospective for the flag-carrier
THE Indian air travel industry is deemed to be one of the
fastest growing markets, globally, with the estimated
growth is of about 20% growth annually. The key factor
essential to maintain the growth is the necessity in the
growth of country's infrastructure. Aviation has received
a helping hand from various parties, for the front-end
infrastructure; but the maintenance section still remains
a straggler, as compared to its global peers. The Air India
Engineering Services Ltd.'s (AIESL) MRO facility at Nagpur
is a correctional measure for the issue. The commercial
vitality of this facility depends on numerous factors like
the growth of air traffic in Nagpur, economic viability for
private airlines and the budgetary influence on the facili-
ty; to make it on par with the other MROs in India and
beyond.
The National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 (section 18.
Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) states. "The MRO
business of Indian carriers is around Rs. 5000 crore, 90%
of which is currently spent outside India – in Sri Lanka,
Singapore, Malaysia, UAE etc. Given our technology and
skill base, the government is keen to develop India as an
MRO hub in Asia, attracting business from foreign air-
lines." As per the policy, Center has aimed to develop In-
dia as an MRO hub for aircraft.
Since May 2015, since the first aircraft check, the facility
has successfully completed 21 checks, which includes the
recently completed 'C Check' on a Boeing 737 (operated
by SpiceJet). Air India had placed an order of aircraft with
Boeing, following which the facility was set up by Boeing
as a part of its commitment towards the national Flag
seek DGCA clearance for Boeing 737’s full maintenance
Spirit AeroSystems introduces new Composite technology
SPIRIT AeroSystems is known to be one of the largest
manufacturers of aerostructures in the world. They have
recently introduced a new single-aisle spoiler for the Air-
bus A320 family. Spirit AeroSystems have successfully
demonstrated the Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) technolo-
gy at their Advanced Technology Centre, located in Prest-
wick, Scotland. They are scheduled to begin production of
the Single-aisle Spoiler with the new RTM process in 2019.
Scotty McLarty, the Vice President and General Manager
of Spirit AeroSystems, UK & Malaysia, said, "We are
pleased to utilize this innovative technology to not only
bring improved quality and savings to our customer but
also to secure new work for our U.K. facility.” The new
Resin Transfer Molding solution developed by Spirit Aero-
Systems supports a high-volume production of spoilers
and other monolithic components, which assures delivery
of improved quality and significant cost savings.
Spirit aims at establishing a world class manufacturing sys-
tem, with a state-of-the-art automation and robotics to
meet its customer’s, more than 600 spoilers per month,
demands. Since 2014, Spirit and Airbus have been collabo-
rating on the research and development of new technolo-
gy. The Aerospace Technology Institute, a UK Government
aerospace research and development institute, also pro-
vided a funding match to the effort.
Spirit AeroSystems has design and build capabilities for
both commercial and defence aircraft. In addition to the
spoilers, the company currently produces A320 family
leading and trailing edges.
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 3 October 2017
Dinesh Keskar said, “Commercial aerospace de-
mand in India continues to grow at unprecedented
rates.”
Indian airlines have a fleet of more than 500 planes and
have about 880 on order. The current forecast graph has
steeply increased, as Boeing had expected India to buy
470 planes worth $350 billion over a span of 20 years.
The aviation traffic in India is growing at a rate of 20%
which is far greater than the global average of 7.3%. The
Domestic traffic increased by 23%, of which Low-Cost air-
lines made up 60% of the traffic. Air India is set to receive
the last planes amongst the 68 planes, $11 billion order
made in 2006. They include a fleet of three 787 Dream-
liner, expected to be delivered by October 2017 and a
fleet of three Boeing 777 long haul jets by early 2018.
SpiceJet and Jet Airways are also ready to receive their
orders of Boeing 737 Max from next year. Dinesh Keskar
also informed that some Boeing aircraft are also being
leased to Indian Carriers over the next few months.
India’s ever-growing aviation traffic changes Boeing’s forecast
LAST year, Boeing had submitted a forecast that India
would purchase 1850 planes, over a span of 2 decades.
But, Boeing has submitted an updated forecast that ex-
pects the world’s fastest growing Aviation market to pur-
chase as much as 2100 Aircraft within the next 20 years. In
March 2016 Boeing had a forecast that India would pur-
chase 1740 planes over the next 20 years. In July 2016,
Boeing updated its demand forecast for India, stating that
it expects Indian airlines to order 1850 new aircraft, worth
$265 billion. Senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India
sales, Dinesh Keskar stated that, “India continues to have a
strong commercial aerospace market and the highest do-
mestic traffic growth in the world.” However, this year,
Boeing updated the demand forecast for India again,
stating that Indian airlines are expected to purchase 2100
aircraft worth $290 billion, over the next 20 years. This in-
crease in demand forecast is attributed to strong local cur-
rency, high load factor, passenger demand, low fuel prices
and strong economic growth.
Storm Aviation has launched Base Maintenance Services
ONE of the leading line maintenance and technical train-
ing service providers in Europe, Storm Aviation, has an-
nounced the launch of light base maintenance at the
London-Stansted airport facilities, which is the head-
quarters of the organization. This UK based organization
holds part-145 and part-147 approvals and is planned to
provide base maintenance services namely, large com-
ponent change programs, modifications and equivalent
scheduled base maintenance up to 1C-Check to airlines
operating Airbus A320 and Boeing 757 aircraft.
carrier. It was known from another source that it would
be essential for the Air India Nagpur facility to generate a
revenue of approx. Rs. 500-600 cr. annually to be profita-
ble. The General Manager (Engineering) SS Quazi, men-
tioned to the Indian Express reporter, “We have DGCA
approval to carry out less complex 4A checks including
modification, structural inspection and repaid on A319,
A320 and A321 series aircraft fitted with certain types of
engines, and will be looking to seek approval for more
extensive checks once we have a customer on board.
We’re also planning to soon seek DGCA clearance for
Boeing 737’s full maintenance planning document. Once
we have the requisite approval, we would be able to con-
duct any kind of checks on that aircraft model.” Ajay
Singh, the Chairman & MD of SpiceJet, mentioned that Air
India has initiated a time & money saving efforts, by ser-
vicing their aircraft at the Nagpur unit. Considering that
SpiceJet does not have any Nagpur as a stop, they would
face a challenge when complying to their agreement with
Air India Engineering Services Ltd. It could also be deter-
rent for other private airlines to use AIESL's MRO in Nag-
pur.
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 4 October 2017
Storm Aviation has its MRO facility in the Diamond hang-
ar of the London Stansted Airport, which is renowned for
its wide-body aircraft housing capacity. Here, the aviation
specialists shall offer 24x7 AOG support, major & minor
modification services, engineering and maintenance plan-
ning, refurbishment and aircraft interior changes, as well
as, engine repair works & changes to airlines operating
Airbus A319, A320, A321 and Boeing 757.
This issue has severely affected the airlines, as the
grounding has led to a cancellation of numerous
flight with the operators.
IndiGo president and whole-time director Aditya Ghosh
said that “Regrettably, there have been days when we
have had to ground as many as nine A320 Neo (planes)
due to lack of spare engines. While we do receive certain
compensation from Pratt & Whitney for these ground-
ings, the operational disruptions are quite challenging
and we are not happy with that situation.” As per a
source, as many as 667 flights were cancelled by Indigo
between 21st June - 03rd July. This has led to Indigo in-
curring losses. These technical issues faced by Indigo and
GoAir certainly pose and 'safety issue' besides the eco-
nomic impediment. P&W has assured that they will en-
sure to have no aircraft-on-ground by September 2017;
as informed by a DGCA official.
AFI KLM E&M to support Delta Airlines
AIR France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance
(AFI KLM E&M) has announced an affiliation with Delta
Airlines, a US based operator, to provide component sup-
port to the airline’s Airbus A350 fleet, as well as a recipro-
cal component agreement which takes advantage of Delta
TechOps component capabilities. Besides the Component
agreement, Delta airlines will benefit from expertise and
reputation which AFI KLM E&M holds in terms of compo-
nent support in general and Airbus A350, in particular.
“Delta is one of the biggest airlines in the world, and AFI
KLM E&M is proud to help it operate a new aircraft type,”
said Anne Brachet, Executive Vice President AIR FRANCE
KLM Engineering & Maintenance. “With this new A350
contract, AFI KLM E&M is showing it is a major player in
this emerging market, with an extensive, expert, and com-
petitive service offer. This opportunity also opens the
door to further MRO collaborations and we look forward
to expanding our maintenance relationship.”
No more AOG due to Engine issues, P&W assures
INDIGO and Go Air have been facing issues with the A320
Neo engines. Failure in the No. 3 bearing and the com-
bustion chamber failure on P&W1100 engine, has led to
the grounding of 7 aircraft of A320 Neo variant operated
by Indigo and 2 operated by GoAir. A meeting held in Au-
gust 2017, to discuss the issue faced on the P&W engine,
was attended by the representatives of DGCA, P&W, Air-
bus, Indigo and GoAir. It is known that DGCA has been
investigating the issues which have arisen with the Pratt
& Whitney engines in A320 Neo narrow-body Jets, which
were brought in service over the past year by the two
Indian airline operators.
AAR to acquire two MRO facilities
THE global aviation service provider Allen Aircraft Ra-
dio (AAR), is deemed to acquire two of Premier Avia-
tion’s aircraft maintenance and overhaul facilities. One
facility is located at Trois-Rivières Airport in Quebec
and the second one at Windsor International Airport in
Ontario, Canada.
Premier Aviation had expanded its Trois-Rivières, Que-
bec facility to 150,000 square feet in 2011. This facility
can contain up to seven narrow-body aircraft. Premier
Aviation began operating in Windsor, Ontario in 2012
in a new 143,000 square feet hangar with full back
shop capability and capacity for six narrow-body air-
craft. AAR already operates a widespread, award-
winning network which also includes airframe mainte-
nance facilities in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Duluth,
Minnesota; Miami, Florida; Indianapolis, Indiana;
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 5 October 2017
Rockford, Illinois, as well as component repair facilities in
New York and Amsterdam, and landing gear services in
Miami.
AAR was ranked as the largest MRO services provider in
the Americas and third in the world, before this acquisi-
tion. AAR was founded in 1951 and incorporated in 1955
and the has since provided various aviation and expedi-
tionary services to the global commercial, government
and defence aviation.
EgyptAir E&M acquired ECAA approval
for CFM56-7B
EGYPTAIR Engineering and Maintenance has recently
acquired the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA)
approval for CFM56-7B type engines for the Boeing B737
-800 type aircraft. EgyptAir Maintenance and Engineer-
ing Chairman & CEO, Abou Taleb Tawfik, informed that
they have been upgrading their facilities to add the ser-
vices requisite for maintaining and overhauling the
CFM56-7B engines, since 2014. It has also been known
that EgyptAir has 9 new aircraft to be delivered by end of
December 2017. That would expand their Boeing B737-
800 fleet to 29, with the 4 spare engines would make it a
total of 62 engines of the above variant. These engines
were overhauled abroad which resulted in added
maintenance cost and longer time. Hence EGME worked
towards developing their facilities to achieve the approv-
al. This approval expands the company’s maintenance
scope besides saving a lot of currency.
AeroMexico goes live with AMOS software
AEROMEXICO Group has selected Swiss-AS software
AMOS for managing its complete scale of maintenance
activities post an extensive market review. AMOS had its
first go-live with Aero-Mexico in December 2016, when
AMOS was used for AeroMexico's long haul fleet man-
agement. Now the complete range of maintenance activi-
ties will be managed by the AMOS.
AMOS is the comprehensive, fully-integrated MRO soft-
ware solution developed and distributed by Swiss Avia-
tion Software. Besides AeroMexico, AMOS is also used by
airlines & MRO's like, SpiceJet, EgypyAir,
Able Aerospace to begin MRO services in India: DGCA certification acquired
ABLE Aerospace Services, a subsidiary of Textron Avia-
tion declared that they have achieved a certification
from DCGA, to provide a wide spectrum of repair, over-
haul and approved replacement part support for both
rotary and fixed wing aircraft in India. This has enabled
Able Aerospace to provide high-quality, cost efficient
maintenance, repair and overhaul services for Indian air-
lines, which operate aircraft by Airbus, Bell, Boeing and
other major aircraft platforms in India.
Able Aerospace Services serves a wide range of commer-
cial and military aircraft; in more than 60 countries. Be-
sides, the DGCA certification it has additional airworthi-
ness certifications from FAA, EASA, CAAC, JCAB, Thailand
DCA and Brazil’s ANCA. This organization is also an ap-
proved Bell Helicopter Service Center and an Airbus Heli-
copters approved repair facility, also holding Internation-
al Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001-2008 and
Boeing’s AS9100 certificates of registration.
HAL will supply 41 Advanced Light
Helicopters : MoU signed
HINDUSTAN Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an-
other MoU to supply of 40 Advanced Light Helicopters
(ALH) to the Indian Army and 1 ALH to the Indian Navy.
The 41 ALH supply contract, worth Rs. 6100 crores and
will be delivered in the next 5 years. In March 2017, HAL
had signed a contract with the Indian Navy (IN) and Indi-
an Coast Guard (ICG) to supply 32 ALH. This contract
was in view of boosting the maritime security capabili-
ties of the IN and ICG.
Iberia, Kalitta Air, UMS Skeldar Aero Group, AirBerlin,
Belavia, Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp, etc.
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 6 October 2017
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated Shirdi Airport
HON’BLE President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Shirdi Airport on the 1st October, located in Ahmednagar district
in Maharashtra. Concluding the inauguration, Mr. Kovind has dedicated the airport to the people. The commercial
flights were scheduled for later that day, with a flight to Mumbai, operated by Alliance Air.
Shirdi Airport had acquired the aerodrome license from DGCA last month, and a successful test flight was flown from
Mumbai on 26th September 2017. The 40-minute test flight was conducted by Alliance air in its ATR-72 from Mumbai
to Shirdi, which took off at 03:20 pm and landed at 04:00 pm. One of the first passengers was Mr. Ram Shinde, the
state Water & Soil conservation minister and MLA for Ahmednagar district. Besides Ram Shinde, others accompanying
him were, Valsa Nair Singh - State Civil Aviation Secretary; Mukesh Bhatia – Regional Director, Western Region. Air In-
dia; Suresh Kakani - Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd Managing Director; besides others. The delega-
tion was received by Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil - Leader of Opposition, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
"With the first flight landing at Shirdi Airport, my dream has been fulfilled. Sai Baba's devotees will reach here faster
now," Vikhe Patil tweeted.
The Shirdi Airport is located 238 km from Mumbai, and is setup on a 350 hectare land in Kakadi village, 13km south-
west of Shirdi. The airport has a 2500 m runway, which is capable of handling larger aircraft like Airbus A-320 & Boeing
B-737. According to an estimate, Shirdi receives approx. 60,000 pilgrims every day, and the airport authorities plan to
divert 10-12% towards air transport. The Shirdi Aerodrome is owned and developed by Maharashtra Airport Develop-
ment Company (MADC). The Airport has been developed with an investment of Rs. 350 crore, which includes 50 crore
received from the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan trust.
This year marks the 100th year if Sai Baba’s Samadhi in Shirdi. The Shirdi airport commemorates this event and the air
transport will reduce pilgrims travel time to 40 minutes, by airways, against the 5 hours by roadways, at present; which
will allow the devotees to return the same day.
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 7 October 2017
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 October 2017
Seaplanes to decorate Indian skies soon
AJAY Singh CMD of Spicejet said that his airline was exploring opportunities to buy seaplanes to increase its reach in areas which do not have air strips. SpiceJet plans to purchase more than 100 amphibians, estimated to cost US$400 mil-lion, as the no-frills airline looks to boost regional operations. The airline is already a participant in the Government’s regional connectivity scheme under which it operates flights to the country's hinterland. Spicejet entered into an agree-ment with Japan's Setouchi Holdings to explore the opportunity of bringing seaplanes back to Indian skies. Quest Air-craft Company, LLC—part of Japan’s diversified Tsuneishi Group—is a manufacturer of amphibian planes. The company is owned by Setouchi Holdings, part of Tsuneishi Group. Quest Aircraft also makes Kodiak 100 aircraft that can carry up to eight passengers, depending on the configuration.
There is a huge potential for their use in tourism, not just in the leisure segment but also in case of crises or emergen-cies, since they can reach the remotest areas and can land on water bodies. “These are rugged planes which can oper-ate from a small strip or from water. With constraints of airports high in India, I believe there is tremendous opportunity for seaplanes,” Singh said. Test flights of the aircraft have been held in Nagpur and Guwahati. Singh said that there is good opportunity to operate such planes in places like the north eastern parts of the country, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Rajasthan, where tourism flourishes. However, he cautioned that the company would not venture in to the project if it didn't make commercial sense. “At the end of the day, SpiceJet is a commercial entity, and whether we will finally do it and how we will do it depends on the commercial viability of the project,” Singh said. “Under this association, we have already executed land plane demonstrations in Nagpur and Guwahati. As a next step, we would also like to go for seaplane demonstration soon,” said Go Okazaki, Executive Managing Director, Setouchi Holdings Inc. SpiceJet is trying to remodel itself with multiple initiatives such as longer version of regional aircraft Bombardier Q400, low-cost long-haul planes and now the seaplane initiative. This introduction of Seaplanes and the speculated MRO by Setouchi Holdings, will surely boost the MRO market in India.
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 8 October 2017
Joramco adds Boeing B737 Max to
its services
THE Amman based MRO, Joramco, which is the engineer-
ing section of the Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), has
received approval for B737 Max from Jordanian Civil Avia-
tion Authority (JCARC) and United Arab Emirates Civil Avi-
ation Authority (GCAA). Presently, Joramco provides
maintenance repair and overhaul services to various air-
craft models of Airbus, Boeing and Embraer fleets, to a
wide range of customer based in Middle East, South Asia,
Africa, Russia, and the CIS countries.
“Adding the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft capability is consid-
ered a strategic milestone in our capabilities develop-
ment plans as it will expand our airframe and service
offerings to our customers. This addition shows our com-
mitment to support existing and future customers who
are operating the next generation of aircraft” said Mr.
Amjad Korshlow, the acting CEO of Joramco.
Joramco is strategically located in a free zone area at the
Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. They
have a facility which includes 5 hangers, with the capacity
to house 10 aircraft. Joramco is also certified by various
local and international aviation regulatory authorities
like, Jordanian Civil Aviation Authority (JCARC), U.S. Fed-
eral Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA).
service sector, which also includes MRO, is antici-
pated to grow phenomenally to $ 8.5 trillion in the
next 20 years. As per the changes in the forecast report in
Boeing, India would require 2100 aircraft, over the next
20 years, which is valued at 290 billion.
While the Civil Aviation in India has shown a growth tra-
jectory, the Defense Aviation is not far behind. There has
been a steady increase in India’s defense requirements
over the years which has compelled a relative increase in
Defense Aviation MRO. The Government of India is ad-
dressing these growth opportunities in various facets.
Earlier, the Defense Aviation MRO was restricted with Air
Force, Army and Navy. This has now been revised and has
been thrown open to private players. The Government of
India is planning reforms in its policies related to defense
sector, which will encourage the suppliers of defense avi-
ation spare parts to start endemic production in the
country, thus complying with the Make-in-India initiative
of the Government.
Envisioning the short-term perspective, the combined,
Civil and Defense, MRO market is anticipated to reach
$2.5 billion by 2025. This will serve to be a bonanza op-
portunity for the prospective players in the field.
Indian civil and defense MRO has be-gun its vertical journey
THE new National Civil Aviation policy laid down by the
Government aims at manifesting the enormous opportu-
nities provided by aviation. The new policy combines
measures like effective improvement in infrastructure,
improvement in Regional Connectivity Scheme and allevi-
ating the flying norms for new entrants, attempts at capi-
talizing on the growth prospects of Aviation market. Alt-
hough, the growth of aviation market effects significant
aspects of trade and economic growth of the country;
there is one sector which demands attention of entrepre-
neurs as it provides humongous opportunities. It is the
Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) sector. Accord-
ing to Boeing, the global commercial aviation
ATR announced deals with Phitek for IFE streaming
ATR has signed a deal with an Auckland, New Zealand
aircraft cabin technology supplier Amphenol Phitek Ltd,
for the provision of a standalone wireless In-flight Enter-
tainment System (IFE). This system is deemed to enhance
the passengers on board experience by allowing them to
read newspapers, download tourist guides, listen to mu-
sic and watch movies, series or other multimedia content
on their personal electronic devices. This service will be
made available from June 2018 and will be an optional
feature for all the new ATRs. They will also be easily ret-
rofittable for the existing ATRs.
This on-board streaming facility will be delivered by the
innovative, simple and flexible IFE Box solution. This IFE
system requires no electrical or mechanical solutions and
can be easily installed or removed, on every type of air-
craft models. Airlines can collaborate with IFE Phitek and
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 9
determine the appropriate streaming content and consid-
er the relative revenue opportunities.
Chris van der Loo, Marketing Director of Phitek said: “We
are delighted to supply ATR with our innovative Wi-Fi
streaming products. This further enhances the flight ex-
perience on board the ATR aircraft. ATR’s position at the
forefront of regional aviation demonstrates the superiori-
ty of their products and the importance they attach to
remaining at the cutting-edge of aviation technology. The
fact that they have chosen Phitek is further proof of the
quality of our smarter cabin products and their success in
creating the ultimate in-flight experience.”
ATR’s Senior Vice-President Programs & Support, Tom
Anderson stated that ATR is constantly striving to im-
prove the in-flight experience which they offer to ATR
operators and their passengers. This IFE streaming will
allow passengers additional ways to enjoy their flight
while providing operators with added revenue potential.
JUICE will carry 10 most advanced instruments
which will include set of cameras, spectrometers,
ice-penetrating radar (RIME), altimeter, radio-science ex-
periment, and set of sensors to monitor Jupiter’s mag-
netic fields and charged particles. The radar sounder in-
strument, RIME, is developed for penetrating below the
moons’ icy surface, till a depth of 9m, while will provide
images with a resolution of 1 km x 10 km and a depth of
50 m. RIME will use a 16.6 m dipole antenna to work on a
central frequency of 9 MHz. The two antenna booms are
made of Carbon Fiber reinforced polymer and weigh 1.3
kgs.
The two-day RIME tests campaign was done to verify the
results of the computer simulation, and calculate the ra-
dio performance of the RIME antenna, as if it were
mounted on the spacecraft. The test was performed using
a specific 3m x 2m x 2m mockup (since the real spacecraft
cannot be take outside), on which the antenna was
mounted. The mockup was attached to a helicopter using
a polyethylene rope, which hung 120 m below the heli-
copter and flew 320 m above the ground. Due to the req-
uisite frequency range, the test was performed outdoors,
though it had to face external disturbances, electromag-
netic reflections and general weather conditions. The set
up was made to replicate the ‘spacecraft mounting’ cir-
cumstances as the test characteristics are impacted by
the electromagnetic coupling to the spacecraft and would
have to be monitored to ensure the antenna calibration.
To endure the flight and to combat the wind force, the
delicate, space designed, antenna booms were strength-
ened with fiberglass tubes.
Airbus is a prime contractor for JUICE spacecraft, and us-
es expertise from its various sites in Toulouse (France),
Friedrichshafen (Germany), Stevenage (UK) and Madrir
(Spain). Airbus has engaged around 150 space engineers
on the JUICE spacecraft.
October 2017
Jupiter’s moons exploration tests initi-ated in Germany; JUICE radar anten-na tested
THE European Space Agency’s mission, led by Airbus, to
explore Jupiter’s moons, has started in Airbus’ Frie-
drichshafen plant in Germany. The first step, to test the
Radar for Icy Moon Exploration (RIME) instrument, was
done in September 2017. This was executed by flying the
RIME instrument beneath a helicopter. The test was
done in an airfield, 30 km northwest of Airbus’ Germany
plant, where the 16.6 meter long antenna used for RIME
instrument was tested under diverse flight conditions.
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 10 October 2017
SITAONAIR to deliver personalized IFC experience to Emirates passengers
SITAONAIR will be delivering their personalized inflight
connectivity to Emirates, through their onboard Wi-Fi
hub, ‘Internet ONAIR’, which will digitally harmonize the
inflight connectivity experience across over 200 aircraft.
The SITAONAIR project was awarded as the best personal-
ization innovation, at the APEX awards 2017. The Internet
ONAIR has been incorporated with Emirates Skywards,
which is an Emirates Airlines loyalty program, offering
special benefits to members.
In addition to the complimentary 20mb data, Emirates
Skywards’ is now offering a customized inflight Wi-Fi bun-
dle, to be used on the new Internet ONAIR portal, de-
pending on the membership tier and class of travel. This
provides a higher engaging means to Emirates’ customers,
and serves as a gratitude from Emirates. The Internet
ONAIR portal has been customized to accessible through
Wi-Fi, from any connected device.
“With Emirates we have made our open platforms vision,
presented at APEX EXPO 2016, a reality. This complex digi-
tal harmonization project marks a real accomplishment
for both SITAONAIR’s digital aviation specialists and our
long-standing airline customer and co-creation partner”
said Dominique El Bez, Vice President of Strategy at
SITAONAIR.
According to SITA’s 2017 Passenger IT trend survey, it has
been noted that UAE passengers show a great deal of ar-
dor for sending receiving emails, messages, images and
videos inflight. As compared to a global average 55% were
amongst the ‘would definitely use’ category. Also, SITA’s
survey has also reported that passengers prefer a more
personal, than a more generic, digital experience inflight.
The SITAONAIR-Emirates Internet ONAIR project will pro-
vide following value-adds for passengers:
• Portal for inflight login with Emirates Skywards
credentials, and a personalised welcome note.
• Provision of various customized offers, designed
to suit the seat and tier level, ranging from discounted
internet plans to unlimited internet access.
• Provision for inflight sign-up for the Emirates
Skywards loyalty program, real time.
Livewel Aviation interested in Air India’s ground handling operations
LIVEWEL Aviation’s Mumbai headquarters have shown
their interest in managing the ground handling business
of Air India, considering its debt. Livewel is a family-
owned business which is headed by Manek Davek and
Burzin Daver. It provides ground handling and mainte-
nance services to various Airlines. Apart from the inter-
est shown by Bird group has also shown interest in man-
aging Air India’s services. Civil Aviation Secretary R. N.
Chaubey informed that, in August 2017, Bird Group
wrote a letter to the aviation ministry, expressing their
interest in investing in Air India. Currently, Air India holds
a debt of nearly Rs. 52,000 crores. Amongst which, Rs.
28,000 crores, is the working capital debt and Rs, 4,000
crores, is the interest. Despite of receiving Rs. 24,000
crores of bailout package, Air India has failed to turn its
fortune.
In June 2017, the Cabinet had given an in-principle nod
for strategic disinvestment of the state-run airline. A
group of ministers led by the Finance Minister Arun
Jaitely are expected to meet for discussing the National
Carrier’s divestiture plan. Government is likely to Air In-
dia’s subsidiaries separately and expects to finish the
carrier’s disinvestment plans before the end of current
year. The Government of India has invited applications,
to appoint transaction advisors and law firms, for Air In-
dia’s strategic sale assistance. The Department of Invest-
ment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has in-
formed that they will appoint two transaction advisors
from consulting firms/ investment bankers, merchant
bankers and financial institutions. “The Government of
India has in-principle decided to consider the disinvest-
ment of the AI Group as a whole, or its constituents fully
or part thereof through strategic sale with transfer of
management control,” the DIPAM said in notice inviting
Expression of Interest.
So far, four companies have shown their interest in ac-
quiring the ground handling business of the National Car-
rier, including Bird Group and Celebi Aviation. Earlier,
IndiGo had expressed its interest in taking over Air In-
dia’s international operations.
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 11 October 2017
Component storage facility, a requisite for Pune Airport
STOCKING of critical spares at the airport facility has been
made necessary by flight delays caused by the sudden
malfunctions of components, aviation experts say. Hence,
such a facility has been a requisite since the expansion of
the Pune airport is in progress; since Mumbai and Delhi
airports already have such a storage facility available.
"Flights have been delayed due to technical glitches. In
Pune, the current space doesn't allow for creation of
proper stores in which some basic spare parts can be
kept. However, with the airport expanding and plans to
increase the size of the apron area on the anvil in addi-
tion to the construction of a new terminal building, provi-
sions for the same might be made in the future," as in-
formed by an airline official to Times of India.
When Ajay Kumar, Pune Airport Director was contacted,
he informed that aircraft maintenance is not dependent
on spare space. One needs to contact the airlines.
Aviation expert, Dhairyasheel Vandekar, who has
served as a station manager for Air India, informed
that this issue was raised a long time ago and the Pune
MP, Anil Shirole had been contacted for the same.
"Though it is practically not possible for any airline to
have a stockpile of all the components for an aircraft in
one single place, here we are talking about some basic
and critical equipment which gets out-of-order often in
an aircraft. These include windscreens or wheel assembly.
If space can be provided, airlines can access and decide
upon what they want to store in the space provided by
the airport. For example, if there is a tyre burst and the
wheel assembly is present in the airport, fixing it takes an
hour," Vandekar said.
Vandekar added stating that the airlines must ensure that
a stock of important components and those recommend-
ed by the manufacturers are readily available. This will
ensure some control over delays and reduce the incon-
venience caused to the passengers and revenue loss for
facilitation of passengers and settlement of their claims.
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 12 October 2017
New IFEC suppliers announced for
Embraer’s E-Jets E2
EMBRAER has announced its collaboration with Meggit
Polymers & Composites and KID Systeme as its new In-
flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) provider for
the second generation of E-Jets family of commercial air-
craft. Being one of the five amongst the Meggit divisions,
Meggit polymers & composites will be producing a high
performance radome assembly, for inflight connectivity.
Also, one of the market leading suppliers for electronic
cabin systems for passenger and corporate aircraft, KID
Systeme, will be providing its SKY-Fi club system – a wire-
less streaming onboard platform for commercial and ex-
ecutive aircraft.
“To best suit their operating environments, airlines and
lessors can choose from the E2's portfolio of in-flight en-
tertainment and connectivity products from multiple sup-
pliers. There are also common smart and modular provi-
sions that accommodate future equipment installation.
The IFE&C portfolio will include wireless streaming enter-
tainment to personal devices or seat backs, internet via
Ka and Ku bands and air-to-ground connectivity, and real-
time TV (iPTV).” informed Rodrigo Silva e Souza, Vice
President of Marketing, Embraer Commercial Aviation.
The design manufacture and assembly from Meggit will
include a radome, skirt seal, adapter plate and fittings. A
notable feature of this system is the Tri-band radome ca-
pability, which allows each aircraft services to be custom-
ized as per customers preference. The KIDSysteme’s SKY-
Fi club has been selected to enable the E2’s passengers to
choose the KID-System’s streaming solution. The SKY-Fi
club will stream the content directly to passengers’ per-
sonal electronic devices (PED). The content will include
entertainment options like movies, ebooks, magazines,
etc. This technology is based upon Airline Network Archi-
tecture (ALNA) connectivity program, which has already
been installed over 650 aircraft. This system will also ena-
ble the passengers to access internet services, inflight.
Aviation Events : Oct 17 to Dec 17
• NBAA BUSINESS AVIATION CONVENTION & EXHIBITION
Date: 10th October, 2017
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, USA
• INTERNATIONAL AIR SAFETY SUMMIT
Date: 23rd-25th October, 2017
Location: Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin, Ireland
• DUBAI AIRSHOW
Date: 12th-16th November, 2017
Location: Airport Expo, Dubai, UAE
• EUROPEAN CORPORATE AVIATION SUMMIT
Date: 20th November, 2017
Location: Hill Dickinson LLP, London, England
• RUSSIAN BUSINESS AVIATION SUMMIT
Date: 7th December, 2017
Location: Radisson Blu Hotel, Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow, Russia
Reference
aerotime.aero
aersale.com
ainonline.com
airbus.com
airindia.in
arabianaerospace.aero
aviationpros.com
aviationspaceindia.com
economictimes.indiatimes.com
embraer.com
gbp.com.sg
heliweb.com
indianexpress.com
joramco.com.jo
livemint.com
moneycontrol.com
mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com
sitaonair.aero
swiss-as.com
thehindubusinessline.com
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
AERO MRO DIGEST
Issue 1 Vol 3 13 October 2017
Rajiv Bansal – Air India
RAJIV Bansal, Senior IAS officer, took charge of the CMD office of
Air India, in August, 2017, with a commitment to work on the air-
line’s profitability with a missionary zeal. Mr. Bansal is a 1988
batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre. He is a Civil Engineer by pro-
fession, graduated from IIT Delhi in 1986, and holds a bachelor
degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He also holds a
Diploma in Finance from ICFAI, Hyderabad and an Executive Mas-
ters in International Business from IIFT, New Delhi. He has worked
as Secretary, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC),
and also as Joint Secretary, Department of Heavy Industries, Gov-
ernment of India and Director, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govern-
ment of India. Bansal also has the experience of working as part time official Director at Bharat Heavy Electricals Lim-
ited from July 14, 2009, to March 15, 2011. He has even served as Director of HMT Limited from August 03, 2009 to
January 11, 2010. He has also worked with the Board NACIL, Alliance Air and GITA. He has also served in the Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology, where he looked after digital payments, IT Act, Aadhaar, and internet govern-
ance. Rajiv Bansal has replaced Ashwani Lohani, who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Indian Railway Board.
“He will be holding additional charge for 3 months and the government will then take a call on who the regular person
should be, whether it should be Rajiv Bansal or someone else,” Civil Aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said.
New Appointments
Damon Bowden – AerSale
AERSALE, a global supplier of mid-life aircraft, used serviceable materials
and MRO services has promoted Damon Bowden to Vice President Glob-
al Sales and Business Development (Airframe and Engine), Cardiff, UK.
Damon Bowden will be responsible for the aftermarket services for Eu-
rope, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Mr. Bowden joined AerSale in 2010
and recently have been the General Manager (EMEA), for Aersale, Car-
diff, UK; where he supervised a team of Sales Professionals. Mr. Bowden
has experience in commercial aviation, which involved business plan-
ning, operations, key customer account management, cross-divisional
selling, aircraft maintenance, and airworthiness.
Hearty Congratulations from MRO Association of India
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