High maintenance

As Middle Eastern airline fleets grow, so does the need for high quality MRO services.

The Middle East is home to the most rapidly developing aviation industry in the world. And as the numerous carriers acquire more aircraft, the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business must keep pace.

Faris Haddadeen, deputy general manager of sales for JorAMCo points out that many airlines in the region have their own maintenance facilities so outside contractors are not required.

"Most of them do have their own facilities, though some do subcontract their maintenance. We have long-term agreements with some clients, for example Royal Jordanian. But we offer services to any airline that requires them," he adds.

In terms of forming agreements with airlines, Haddadeen says the process is quite simple. "After we talk to the customer, we ask him to send us the work package which will go to our technical department for evaluation - then it goes to the area sales managers who will make the agreement and the prices they offer are submitted to the customer for negotiations. Once a final price is agreed, the aircraft comes in."

The MRO company has a skilled research team in place to investigate which carriers are in need of JorAMCo's services. At present, the company serves a variety of clients, the most recent addition being the Turkish carrier, Sun Express, which was secured last month.

German-based MRO facility, Lufthansa Technik currently serves six airlines in the Middle East. Walter Heerdt, head of sales and marketing for the company, says the region is the fastest growing in the aviation market. "Of course this attracts all the players to compete for business here. We're also seeing new entrants from the region ready to compete for business."

In terms of services, Lufthansa Technik has a variety of offerings. "We have a complete portfolio of services for our Middle East customers," explains Heerdt.

"This includes the technical support, which covers line maintenance, troubleshooting and engineering; engine support, which deals with engine repair and overhaul; material operations, which covers material supply and logistics; components support, which takes care of all aspects of supplying the fleet with components; landing gear support, which covers monitoring of landing and exchange gear; asset support, which  looks at leasing and bank support, and operations management, which acts as a fleet manager."

In light of the current financial situation, maintenance companies are adapting to the fact that airlines everywhere will be tightening their belts. "The financial crisis has been hitting all businesses," says Heerdt.

"It has reached the real economy and with that the aviation industry. However the impact differs in the different regions. It is expected that that there will be less impact on the Middle East than on other regions."

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