StandardAero is bolstering its HTF7000 capabilities in anticipation of a rise in long-term maintenance work as more aircraft powered by the Honeywell turbofan come on stream.
The Arizona-based MRO, which was appointed in March as the only Honeywell-authorised HTF7000 heavy maintenance organisation, has invested $50 million in the programme “and we won’t see any return from that for five years”, chief executive Russell Ford said at the show yesterday.
The company says it has more than 40 HTF7000 qualified inspectors and technicians, covering five locations globally, as well as field services at 14 sites across the USA.
The engine powers the Bombardier Challenger 300/350 and Gulfstream G280, and the new Embraer Legacy 450/500 and Cessna Citation Longitude.
Standard Aero – which includes the Dallas-based Associated Air Center brand in large business jet completions – was sold in May 2015 by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise to New York-based Veritas Capital for an undisclosed sum.
Ford says the change of ownership has allowed StandardAero to adopt a broader approach to the market. “Under DAE we had very specific strategic objectives which were to do with what was happening in the Middle East. Under Veritas Capital we can take a more holistic view to get really embedded with customers, into data analytics and R&D work,” he says. “We wouldn’t be able to do a lot of that without Veritas Capital, who are more than just a financial owner.”
Source: Flight Daily News