TAM Technological Center Receives New EASA Certification and Expands Services

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TAM's (NYSE: TAM; BOVESPA: TAMM4) Technological Center, located in Sao Carlos in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo, has just been certified by the European aeronautics authority, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), to perform maintenance on Airbus A321 and A330 aircraft. With this, TAM is expanding the services offered by the Technological Center and will have EASA 145 certification for all models of airplane handled in its maintenance center, including A319/A320/A321/A330 and Fokker-100 aircraft.

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EASA 145 certification allows TAM to perform all major scheduled maintenance activities (C and D checkups) on aircraft registered in any country of the European Community. The issuance of the certificate was preceded by extensive auditing, in which all technical and quality processes of TAM's Technological Center were exhaustively verified.

Obtaining this certificate for the A321 and A330 models is in line with the company's strategy of transforming the Technological Center into an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) business unit for offering aircraft maintenance services to third parties.

TAM's Technological Center is also certified by the National Agency of Civil Aviation (ANAC) to perform maintenance on Airbus A319/A320/A321/A330 and Fokker-100 aircraft. In addition, it has DIRMAB certification to perform checkups on the Presidential Plane, the Airbus ACJ (Airbus Corporate Jetliner). The company is continuing with the process of certification for maintenance on components of Boeing aircraft that are being incorporated into the TAM fleet.

Since January of 2007, TAM has been the only Brazilian airline to have IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certification, the most complete and accepted international credential in operational safety. Its IOSA certification has been renewed up until January of 2010 following the completion of the auditing process conducted by independent technicians accredited by IATA (International Air Transport Association) in November of 2007. The audit attested to the company's adherence to 940 requirements for safety and operational quality.

Installed in its own space of 4.6 million square meters, TAM's Technological Center has already received R$ 185 million in investments since its inauguration in 2001. In addition to its maintenance hangars, the TAM complex in Sao Carlos includes all workshops, with a capacity for review of more than 2 thousand aviation components -- from radio control boxes to landing gear.