Page 11 - AAA JULY - SEPTEMBER 2019 Online Magazine

designed to recognize pending system or com- future market shares. At stake is repairing more composite com-
ponent failures,” says Porter. ponents on the growing fleets of Boeing 787s and Airbus A350s.
This new era of “big data” capture and pro- With an investment of US$42 million Helios spearheads on the
cessing will require a clear strategy to take full new-generation aircraft MRO market.
advantage of its potential. Challenges extend to
component and line maintenance MRO provid- According to AFI KLM E&M officials, the company is leveraging
ers as well. Component MROs need the capital its proficiency on the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380 to position
to acquire testing equipment and licenses to itself on the 787 and A350 MRO market. The firm has over a dozen
access OEM manuals and data for these new customer airlines for the 787s. “The treatment of composite parts
parts. “Line maintenance providers will face occupies a position of choice, with a full complement of dedicated
challenges related to training and the use of the maintenance resources. More importantly, the facility’s highly flex-
new aircraft health monitoring systems, fault ible configuration means it can adjust in real time to demand and
isolation systems, and software configuration to market requirements,” says Helios project manager Laurent
protocols,” he points out. Rousselle.
The Airbus A350 XWB is indeed a quantum leap in technology,
MROs are Equipped from the large share of carbon fiber composites and titanium alloys
Already MRO service providers have seen used in its structure to its highly advanced turbofan engines. Most
a real change in where the repairs will have of its system technologies such as the solid state power control,
to be performed. Air France Industries KLM variable frequency generators and high-pressure hydraulics are
Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) derivatives of the larger A380.
says the company already performs repairs
on wing, without taking down a component or MRO Leaders are Ready
panel. “We choose to do so to make logistics Lufthansa Technik has been significantly contributing to the
easier and shorten the turnaround time,” says development and design of the A350 XWB over the past years.
James Kornberg, products and business devel- Lufthansa Technik, which has already gained substantial experi-
opment manager for aerostructures. ence with the new systems and their specific features, says its
component shops know the technology and have the tools and
In 2012, the Helios project was launched with experience to handle and repair it.
the aim of upgrading AFI KLM E&M’s industrial
base and offering enhanced performance to Lufthansa Technik Malta is now officially prepared to carry out
its clients. All the aerostructures facilities at all overhaul work on the Airbus A350-1000. The company has
Le Bourget in Paris are being brought under received the requisite license from the German Federal Aviation
a single roof to ensure an optimized aero- Office (LBA). “With this approval, we have further cemented our
structures offering. AFI KLM E&M has even leading position as the only Airbus widebody overhaul site in the
constructed a new shop providing cutting-edge European Lufthansa Technik network. We are therefore very well
technologies and innovative processes brought positioned to provide long-term technical support for the entire
by the MRO Lab. A350 range. This is a great success for the Lufthansa Technik
Group,” says Marcus Motschenbacher, Chief Executive Officer of
AFI KLM E&M sees the Helios facility as key to Lufthansa Technik Malta.

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