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ISSUE 3, VOLUME 7: JULY – SEPTEMBER 2019 AFRICAN AEROSPACE SU OUE7 UY–SEPTEMBER 2019 ISSUE 3 VOLUME 7: JULY –

THE MAGAZINE FOR AEROSPACE PROFESSIONALS IN THE A330neo. www.africanaerospace.aero

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The A330neo shares many of the same innovations as the groundbreaking A350 XWB, delivering a 25% saving in fuel consumption compared to others in the category. Both aircraft also bene t from a common type rating, which means pilot training costs are signi cantly lower too. And on top of that, they can be  tted with our PUBLISHED BY TIMES GROUP AFTERMATAFTERMATH beautifully designed Airspace cabins, HOW ETHIOPIAN IS MANAGING THE MAX CRISIS COMMENT ETHIOPIAN GÈRE LA CRISE DU B737MAX PAGE 15 setting a new benchmark in passenger « » comfort and wellbeing. DEFENCE BUSINESS AVIATION HUMANITARIAN Innovation. We make it y. The battle The green Air for tactical light for response airlift industry to cyclone supremacy change devastation airbus.com PAGE 37 PAGE 50 PAGE 68

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MAINTENANCE

African aviation has a quandary: operators can’t afford to keep spending their maintenance budgets abroad, while establishing their own maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities is prohibitively expensive. But there is movement in the right direction, as Chuck Grieve reports. Can Africa keep the wheels turning on its MRO potential?

frica embodies “great unrealised importance of MRO” that the region does not The anticipated growth in African demand potential” in aircraft MRO, and a have its own facilities. has prompted the MRO division of Agrowing number of international and recently took the step of advertising Airways to set itself the target of tripling third- domestic operators are moving to provide for for private sector partners to help underwrite the party business in five years. Ambitious? “If we the continent’s needs. cost of MRO facilities. don’t do it, someone else will,” MRO sales and Inspiration comes from the successes and The government is reportedly looking at a marketing manager, Cornelius Mayende, told ambitions of the likes of Nigeria’s Aero build-operate-transfer (BOT) arrangement at reporters. Contractors and the maintenance divisions of either or . Domestic and operators from around and , and the Africa already fly to for heavy drive of global companies such as the parts ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ maintenance on some of the most common supplier AJW, Technik and ExecuJet. aircraft on the continent, including Boeing 737 With more than $1.5 billion annually in The proposed facility would incorporate classics and NGs, 787s and Embraer ERJ- airlines’ heavy maintenance spend lost to the narrow-body and wide-body capabilities beyond 170/190s. In addition, Kenya Airways does line continent, there’s no lack of incentive to help the scope of Nigeria’s Aero Contractors. It’s been maintenance in a growing number of other keep MRO at home. suggested Aero could form the core of a new, African airports. Hafsah Abdulsalam, AJW group sales more ambitious national MRO operation. , meanwhile, is also reported to be director, is hopeful that the single African air Amos Akpan, a former managing director of proceeding with its own MRO project in transport market (SAATM) accord will help Capital , told ThisDay the government Kumasi, capital of the Ashanti region. Ghanaian Africa realise its potential by encouraging should help Aero Contractors – currently the scientist, Dr Thomas Mensah, heads a group collaboration and cooperation and a pan- “most patronised” operation of its kind in west planning to build the country’s first such facility African outlook to MRO. Africa – and grow their facilities to on land donated by the ruler of Ashanti. The From west Africa, Chidi Izuwah, acting world-class standards. “We should move from $400 million project is part of long-term plans to director-general of Nigeria’s Infrastructure proposals into the stage of execution of make Ghana an aviation hub in west Africa. Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), workable ideas using what we have as launching said it was “incomprehensible... considering the pads,” he said. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

In , is moving into DESERT DUST’S OPEN SEASON ON ENGINES freighter conversions with Swiss specialist IPR Maintenance trends in Africa map the prevailing weather Conversions. Technical director, Johann Kruger, conditions. was quoted as saying Solenta’s During the Harmattan season, for example, MROs usually base “will be the African conversion centre for notice a spike in engine-related events. IPR” by the end of the year. IPR holds approvals, Gavin Kiggen, ExecuJet’s vice-president, Africa, said migratory among others, for large cargo door and bird strike and other foreign object debris (FOD) events occur structural tube conversion for the popular regularly during the December-January period, when strong ATR72. winds carrying dust from the Sahara Desert can increase the risk Solenta plans to add a second MRO facility at of damage to some engine components. “The fine dust, over time, OR Tambo International Airport to handle the can cause damage, but when an aircraft flies through an intense dust storm, this can cause aggravated issues on components. anticipated new business. The airline “We have also found that aircraft air-conditioning systems acknowledges staffing-up with ATR-qualified can get clogged quickly, requiring more frequent cleaning personnel will be a challenge, underlining the and/or replacement.” importance of its in-house apprenticeships and Operating from three locations in Africa – Johannesburg, training. and Lagos – ExecuJet sees numerous examples of Canadian airframer, Bombardier, plans to get these problems. closer to customers by relocating its Q Series Its newly built Nigerian facility, which offers fixed-base regional support team to Airways Park, close to operations (FBO) and MRO services, recently concluded the OR Tambo International Airport near C-check on a Learjet 45, which included repairs to difficult-to- access flight controls. Johannesburg. The move from Lanseria Said Kiggen: “This was such a rare occurrence – it was Keeping a weather eye open: Gavin International Airport will co-locate the only the fourth Lear 45 in the world that had this specific repair Kiggen sees specific conditions as the Bombardier team with its longstanding done – but the team in Lagos did a sterling job.” culprit in many engine-related events. customer, Airways.

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GROWTH

Understanding customers: AJW strives to deliver to each unique requirement.

Support for CRJ Series aircraft is unaffected. Todd Young, head of the Q Series aircraft BENEFITS FROM PAN-AFRICAN OUTLOOK programme, said strategic repositioning of African aviation is prone to frequent change, increased capacity. We could start seeing airlines support teams was “another step in our ongoing according to AJW group sales director, Hafsah pulling together to forecast parts requirement. Then efforts to enhance our accessibility and support Abdulsalam. It means companies such as AJW, with a we can also start conversations with chief executives to customers and operators in the region.” “continental” footprint developed over many years, on how we can bring a regional bias to supporting Q400 component repair has also given the need to help industry keep its accumulated them. It will enable AJW to invest more because the African business of ST Engineering a boost. The knowledge current. This leads to, what Abdulsalam risk is lower.” calls, “co-creation of solutions”. A pan-Africa outlook, championed by the likes of Singapore-based global group has announced AJW is an independent specialist in the global Ethiopian Airlines, is “strategically important” for contracts with unnamed new customers. management of commercial and AJW, “so we’ll have those Recent contracts with Air Côte d’Ivoire, Air business aircraft spares, supporting conversations from a component supply Senegal and show AFI KLM airlines, MROs and original equipment side”. E&M is “extending its footprint across the manufacturers (OEMs) with the supply, Abdulsalam is seeing a new drive by dynamic west Africa market”, according to the exchange, repair and lease of airframe African airlines to develop their own MRO’s senior vice-president commercial, and engine components. MRO capabilities, starting with basic Fabrice Defrance. “We try to understand how a fast-moving parts. “They’re building in- customer’s operation works, how we fit house capability for their own fleets and The Air Côte d’Ivoire deal “factored in” help into that equation and how we can to be positioned to provide services for for the airline in developing its own MRO enhance their own requirements or airlines flying in-country, while training capabilities. The airline’s chief executive, René targets,” said Abdulsalam. “If an airline engineers as well to increase local Décurey, said AFI KLM E&M’s offer “delivers asks for contractual support and we resource capacity for A-checks genuine added value for us”. know from experience that it would not locally,” she said. Estonia-based Magnetic MRO is expanding work for them, we will say so and Hafsah Abdulsalam: “That’s where I’ve seen renewed into Africa through the acquisition of Dutch suggest an alternative. Then we’ll work Optimistic that the SAATM vigour, and I hope it does go somewhere: with them to deliver to their will bring new business and I’ve heard it a few times before, given company Direct Maintenance (DM), which has investment to Africa. bases in Entebbe, Lusaka, Zanzibar, Dar es requirements.” the fact that it’s a lot of money to invest in The single African air transport market (SAATM) the infrastructure. Salaam, Nairobi and Mombasa. accord should bring new opportunities for business “Being African and having worked with different Risto Mäeots, chief executive of Magnetic and investment on the continent, she said. airlines globally, I’ve had the chance to see how MRO, said: “It is clear to us that this region “In the first instance, SAATM means the level of different business models work in context. So, for us, deserves a strong local independent MRO collaboration and cooperation between airlines and being able to share that with airlines and business.” ■ countries will be enhanced due to the prospect for governments, is ‘giving back’.”

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