Charlotte Diamond Award

FAA has given a Diamond Award for maintenance training excellence to US Airways’ line maintenance hub in Charlotte, N.C. The recognition marks the 10th consecutive year the facility has received the designation, which is given when all eligible employees participate in FAA’s Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) program.

Trainees Start Careers

With the start of its 2008 training year, Lufthansa Technik Group will provide courses designed around various aircraft maintenance career paths for 285 students, including 141 in Hamburg, 107 in Frankfurt, 30 in Munich and seven in Arnstadt. Besides training aircraft mechanics and electronics engineers, other specialties include tool mechanics, surface coating technicians and warehouse logistics personnel.

TechOps, Alaska Deal

Delta TechOps has received a seven-year contract worth more than $200 million to provide engine overhaul and repair services for Alaska Airlines. The contract involves CFM56-7s that power Boeing 737-700s and 737-900s. Through its partnership with Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corp., TechOps will supply an engine maintenance package.

Honeywell to Support SWA

Southwest Airlines has signed an agreement with Honeywell for aftermarket maintenance support services on its fleet of Boeing 737s. The 10-year extension covers Honeywell equipment such as auxiliary power units (APUs), hydro mechanical units, wheels and brakes, mechanical components, avionics and lighting for the carrier’s entire fleet.

Turkish MRO Expanding

Turkish Airlines Technic and Pratt & Whitney have broken ground on a CFM56® and V2500 engine overhaul facility in Istanbul, Turkey. Set to open in the second half of 2009, the 25,000-square-meter (269,000-square-foot) facility at Sabiha Gokcen Intl Airport will offer MRO services for up to 200 engines annually and employ around 550 people. Services will be available for the CFM56® series and V2500®-A5 engine to operators in Turkey, surrounding regions and international customers.

Kenya Picks Bedek Refurb

IAI subsidiary Bedek Aviation Group has agreed to supply engine refurbishment and support for Kenya Airways’ fleet of Boeing 737s. Valued at over $100 million, the 10-year contract involves support for 26 CFM-56-3/7s in the African carrier’s fleet.

MRO Contracts Issued

StandardAero has obtained MRO support agreements from Aerolineas Mesoamericanas (ALMA) for its fleet of Bombardier CRJ200s. According to separate contracts, valued at more than $50 million collectively, StandardAero will support the aircraft’s GE CF34-3B1 engines and 36-150 auxiliary power units (APUs), including spare engines, technical and program management. Engine maintenance will take place at StandardAero’s facility in Winnipeg, Canada, with APU work at the company’s location in Maryville, Tenn.

Dana Picks Iberia Support

Iberia of Madrid, Spain has agreed to provide maintenance and support for Dana Airlines — a new carrier that will serve domestic routes in Nigeria using a fleet of six MD-83s. The contract covers inspections, maintenance and repair that will be performed at Iberia’s facility in Madrid.

GE, Air One Agreement

Italian carrier Air One has chosen GE Aviation’s CF6-80E1 engines for its fleet of 12 Airbus A330s on order. Worth more than $480 million, the contract has a provision for eight additional A330 options. The Italian carrier has also signed up for the OnPoint program under a 15-year, $250-milion support addendum, which covers maintenance and overhaul services on the engines.

ExelTech Dedicates MRO

Canadian MRO provider ExelTech Aerospace has opened a $19-million, 153,000-square-foot maintenance facility at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Intl Airport in Montreal. The hangar complex, which can house up to 10 regional jets at a time, features maintenance services for composite materials, avionics, metallic structures, electronic systems and nondestructive testing. ExelTech says the facility will provide around 400 jobs for maintenance engineers, technicians and support staff.

SR Technics Services APU

Avtrade has selected SR Technics to supply maintenance and loan services for various Honeywell APU components on a range of Airbus and Boeing jets, including the A318 – A321 series, A300, A330 and A340, and the Boeing 737, 747 and 757. APU maintenance services will take place at SR Technics’ facility in Dublin, Ireland.

Global Mx on Pamir 737

As part of a $2.35-million agreement with Pamir Airways for a Boeing 737-200, Tucson, Ariz.-based Global Aircraft Solutions will provide more than $700,000 in maintenance services. Included in the deal are a heavy maintenance check, new paint and integration maintenance. Hamilton Aerospace Technologies, a Global subsidiary, will complete the painting and integration maintenance.