US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
Air Nostrum signs first GMA for ATR-600 series
Air Nostrum and ATR have announced the signature of a Global Maintenance Agreement (GMA), valued at some $25 million, for the supply of spare parts and maintenance services for the airline’s brand new fleet of 10 ATR 72-600 to be introduced in 2011.
Under this 10-year contract, which is the first concerning new ‘ATR -600 series’ aircraft, ATR will handle the complete management of the equipment, including the repair of line replaceable units (LRUs) and the maintenance and availability of propellers. ATR will also handle the management of the advanced exchange pool services, plus an inventory of spare parts on lease at Air Nostrum’s premises.
Air Nostrum currently counts 5 ATR 72-500s among its fleet, which are already covered by a GMA. According to the fleet renewal and capacity expansion programme of the airline, these five 72-500s will be progressively replaced with the introduction of the brand new ATR ‘-600s’.
Commenting on the signature of this GMA, Carlos Bertomeu, CEO of Air Nostrum, declared, “We are very satisfied of our ten-year partnership with ATR, also in the field of maintenance support. Then, we consider that the extension of our GMA to our brand new ATR ‘-600 series’ fleet is a normal step of our long-term and fruitful relationship. We clearly appreciate the huge support provided by ATR for the operation of our aircraft, and their ability to provide the right answer to our operation and maintenance needs in the shortest time”.
Jean-Pierre Cousserans, ATR SVP Customer Services, remarked, “We are honoured with the renewal of the confidence of Air Nostrum, and we are particularly delighted because this is the very first GMA covering the maintenance of ATR ‘-600 series’ aircraft.”
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