Flying Colours on recruiting drive in Singapore: Flying Colours is ramping up expansion preparations to align with the growth of the Bombardier Business Aircraft Service Centre at Seletar Airport, which is quadrupling in size. Located within the Service Centre, Flying Colours is recruiting new team members, acquiring equipment and adjusting its workflow layout to triple its capacity. Recruitment activity has begun to double workforce numbers by the summer of 2021. Flying Colours has already appointed four new recruits who are being trained in the specialised techniques used by the finishing and cabinetry departments. The management team has also been strengthened with the addition of an operations supervisor. A further four technicians are expected to be recruited, trained and in place by the planned opening in the second half of 2020, with ten more recruits anticipated to bolster numbers within the year. To better support expected business growth in demand for interior repairs and refurbishments Flying Colours is also revising the facility layout to enhance workflow and efficiently incorporate new high-tech equipment. A total of three large spray booths will be complemented by the addition of a second sanding booth and additional polishing room, both of which will feature high efficiency ventilation and filtration systems. In addition to wood-veneers, the polishing room will support repairs of the increasingly popular granite countertop surfaces used in aircraft galleys and lavatories. The upholstery section will move to a larger area to support a diverse range of leather and alternative soft materials repairs, while extra space will add valuable storage space for soft goods, veneers, and other cabin interior components.
AAR signs letter of intent with Air Canada: AAR has announced that AAR Aircraft Services Trois-Rivières ULC has entered into a letter of intent with Air Canada regarding a 10-year, renewable agreement for airframe maintenance. This long-term agreement should enable AAR to develop an Airframe Maintenance Centre of Excellence at its Trois-Rivières MRO in Quebec, Canada, and to expand its heavy maintenance services for Air Canada, which will stimulate new investment in aerospace and create more high-quality aircraft mechanic jobs. The letter of intent is subject to completion of the Transat A.T. merger by Air Canada, requisite board of directors’ approvals and completion of final agreements, including terms generally applicable to large-scale airframe maintenance agreements. AAR intends to make necessary facility infrastructure investments in Trois-Rivières to develop a Centre of Excellence and accommodate the new wide-body A330 work of the combined Air Canada and Air Transat fleet. Through this agreement, it is expected that incremental aerospace jobs will be created in Trois-Rivières and AAR’s new capabilities will attract airframe maintenance work from other A330 operators.
AMES expands its Dubai facility for maintenance and repair work: Aerostructures Middle East Services (AMES) has inaugurated the expansion of its Dubai facility in the United Arab Emirates, which is dedicated to maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) work for aircraft nacelles, aerostructures and large engine components. The building extension provides additional capacity for AMES’ newest activity: preventive maintenance inspections (PMIs) and associated repairs on fan stator modules for General Electric GE90 engines that equip Boeing 777 jetliners. With this extension, the AMES operation in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone is doubling its workshop surface and workforce, enabling the company to accommodate inspections and repairs performed on the four-meter-diameter GE90 fan stator modules. In particular, the expanded AMES facility is outfitted with modern resources – including ultrasonic inspection systems for the fan stator modules’ composite panels and metallic components. The preventive maintenance inspections for GE90-100/115 fan cases are mandated by GE as the engine original equipment manufacturer, and are to be performed once they have accumulated 50,000 flight hours.
IATA warns against Bangladesh VAT plans for aeronautical services: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged Bangladesh’s government to reconsider a decision to impose Value Added Tax (VAT) on aeronautical services for airlines operating in the country. A directive from Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue in November announced that VAT on services provided by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) would be subject to a rate of 15 percent. Those services include landing, parking, route navigation, security, boarding bridge facilities and port services. In a letter addressed to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said such taxes harm the development of both air transport and local economies. Not imposing VAT will ensure the continued development of air transport and its valuable contribution to Bangladesh’s economy. “We respectfully request you to direct the National Board of Revenue to rescind its decision to subject to VAT the various aeronautical and non-aeronautical charges levied by the CAAB on international air transport,” wrote de Juniac. “Not imposing VAT on these necessary services in line with international standards will ensure the continued development of the air transport sector and its valuable contribution to Bangladesh’s economy.”
