Mubadala's drive to be a global powerhouse in maintenance, repair and overhaul - alongside its growing wider aerospace portfolio in the Gulf - is likely to accelerate significantly this year.
The Abu Dhabi government's sovereign investment fund owns local MRO Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies and has a majority stake in Switzerland's SR Technics. It has made no secret of its wish to broaden its reach beyond its core markets of Europe and the Middle East. "Expansion into Asia is high on our priorities for 2011," Abdulla Shadid, Mubadala's business-development manager aerospace, told the conference.
At the same time, the two businesses - sharing a stand at the exhibition - could be closer to relaunching under a common name. Shadid said there had been a lot of progress on ADAT and SR Technics integration, adding: "This year we will work much closer to achieve one global brand."
 |
|---|
© Billypix |
Shadid also promised further developments at the Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Centre, its military MRO joint venture with Sikorsky, based at Al-Ain. An announcement will be made at the IDEX defence show in Abu Dhabi later this month.
As well as its MRO interests, Mubadala owns an aerostructures start-up in Al-Ain called Strata, and a flight school, Horizon Flight Academy. It also holds, with Indian conglomerate Tata, a controlling stake in Italian business-aircraft manufacturer Piaggio, and has suggested that it will assemble a yet-to-be-launched Piaggio business jet in the emirate by the end of the decade.
ADAT is to offer "B level" overhauls of the International Aero Engines V2500 engine that powers the Airbus A320 family, including those of ADAT's sister airline, Etihad.
Source: Flight International
