Industry Addendum
AFI KLM E&M signs deals with three airlines across region
May 1st 2019
AFI KLM E&M has brought new customer, Virgin Australia, into its fold and extended its partnerships with Air Tahiti and Gulf Air. Read More »
Australia’s second largest carrier, Virgin Australia (VA), and Paris headquartered AFI KLM E&M have agreed to a component support contract for the airline’s five 777-300ERS that covers flight hour repairs, access to the spares pool and provision of on-site stock at Los Angeles. The component support program is jointly operated by the MRO with Boeing, offering VA the combined expertise of an MRO and an airframe manufacturer.
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Across the Pacific, Air Tahiti has chosen the global MRO to provide component support and line maintenance services for the airline’s four 787-9s. The new contract is an extension of the relationship between the airline and the MRO that began with support of the Polynesian carrier’s A340-300s.
Air Tahiti executive vice president operations. Raymond Topin, said the technical and operational know-how developed by AFI KLM E&M for 787 support was the compelling factor in clinching the new agreement between the two parties.
In the Middle East, Gulf Air broadened its commercial relationship with the MRO with the signing of a long-term agreement for servicing component support for its APUs. Gulf Air will have access to the MRO’s predictive maintenance solution, PROGNOS for APU, which was launched in 2017. The analytics tool also is available for engines and aircraft. The Big Data technology predicts faults in airlines’ APUs that rationalize MRO decision-making, avoid excessive shop visits and assist in cost control. Including Gulf Air’s 787, PROGNOS for APU monitors more than 600 APUs worldwide.
Gulf has been a customer of AFI KLM E&M for its CFM56 engines for several years. The airline also is a client for the company’s component support on its A320 and A330 fleets.
On April 29, the Bahraini carrier finalized an agreement to purchase 65 LEAP 1A engines to power the airline’s new fleet of 17 A320neo and 12 A321neo, confirmation of a commitment Gulf made for the engines in November 2017.
Gulf Air CEO, Kresimir Kucko, said “we have been operating CFM engines for three decades and we are excited to introduce the LEAP engine into our new fleet of A320neo family aircraft. This state of the art combo will definitely be a key asset of our sustainable growth”.
The LEAP engine entered commercial service in 2016. It has more than 100 airline customers worldwide. It offers a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency, matching emissions reductions and lower noise and NOX emissions.
