Boeing Aims to Make Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Facilities More Environmentally Progressive

SEATTLE, May 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA), Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services, Tsinghua University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are hosting a competition for college students from select universities in the United States and China to create more environmentally progressive ways of operating an aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility.

The 2008 Boeing Shanghai Challenge invites teams of up to three university students and one faculty adviser to prepare "green" concepts for the Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services MRO operation. Entries will be judged on creativity of solution, technical feasibility, depth and completeness of technical analysis, and clarity of presentation. Entries are to be received June 1.

Keeping aircraft in excellent working condition requires many types of maintenance activities. MROs provide this maintenance for airlines and aircraft operators that are in need of line, component, engine or heavy maintenance, allowing airlines and aircraft operators to concentrate on their day-to-day business, rather than worrying about their inspection or maintenance checks.

"We are committed to creating an MRO business in China that minimizes the carbon footprint of operations and is sensitive to environmental concerns," said Per Noren, leader of Environmental Strategy for Boeing Commercial Aviation Services. "Going 'green' is no longer just an option -- it is essential. One key opportunity to reduce the environmental footprint of the aviation industry exists in the MRO supply chain."

All entries will be reviewed between by a panel consisting of Boeing executives and university faculty from participating institutions. On June 15, the five finalist teams will be announced. Finalists will meet, on July 9, in Beijing to give their final presentations. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers at a competition dinner that same day.

China's air traffic volume will grow at an average of 7.3 percent annually over the next 20 years and the market for MRO services in China is expected to grow in parallel. The new Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services facility at Pudong airport will feature a four-bay hangar and will provide airplane modifications and maintenance, sale and repair of aviation equipment, and related engineering and technical services.

To register for the 2008 Boeing Shanghai Challenge and help shape the future of the MRO, see http://www.ie.tsinghua.edu.cn or http://www.clds.unc.edu. The challenge is sponsored by Boeing and Research Center for Logistics and Economic Development, a joint effort of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Tsinghua University.