By Aimée Turner in Beijing
Ameco Beijing’s plan to invest $80 million in new hangar facilities provides the clearest indication to date that Chinese flag carrier Air China is eyeing the launch of Airbus A380 operations in time for the country’s Olympic Games in 2008.
The maintenance joint venture, which is 60%-owned by Air China and 40%-owned by Germany’s Lufthansa Technik, says it is planning to build hangars flexibly designed to allow for A380 line maintenance at its Beijing base.
Air China is known to have been discussing the acquisition of A380s through a lease deal with International Lease Finance. Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines is the country’s only declared A380 customer (with orders for five) and plans that the aircraft will enter service before the Beijing Olympics in August 2008.
“You could expect Air China might be appearing in ILFC's books,” says Ameco Beijing executive director of support and marketing Hans Seeger.
Two 350 x 110m (1,150 x 360ft) hangars are planned, capable of accommodating two A380s, two Boeing 747-400s and two 777-300ERs at the same time.
Initial first phase investment is being pegged at $80 million. Construction is due to start this month with operations beginning in May 2008.
Seeger says the only adaptation needed for A380 operations was to increase hangar door height by 0.3m. “Air China has not announced its intentions where the A380 is concerned, but it makes sense for Ameco Beijing to be prepared,” says the joint venture’s expatriate general manager Dr Hans Schmitz. He adds that “Beijing will be an A380 hub and we could offer services to other A380 operators. The line maintenance business is a local one and you need to be at the right spot.”
Although Ameco Beijing has yet to start discussions with any early A380 operators, China Southern would not be one of its customers, as the airline already controls the major Chinese maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) firm Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and is self-sufficient in A380 MRO.
Source: Flight International
