Shannon Aerospace Ltd (SAL) recently completed a series of D Checks on two Croatia Airlines A319 aircraft. Both aircraft were delivered to the customer in 24 days, well ahead of the contracted groundtimes on both projects.
The departure on 6 February of aircraft 9A-CTG marked a particular achievement for the Shannon-based MRO provider as it was the first such turnaround for the company. Capitalising upon a range of lean tools implemented at SAL to date, the D1-Check plus Sampling (the most comprehensive check possible on a 1998 vintage aircraft), was completed in just 17 days.
On 6 March, aircraft 9A-CTH was delivered within an identical timeframe. Both projects included a seven day paint event, bringing the total number of days required to 24. SAL says the fact that both aircraft were turned around within such a timeframe underlines the MRO provider’s ability to repeat this result, emphasising the predictability and reliability of its maintenance products.
The turnaround times achieved on both Croatia Airlines’ aircraft make up the latest chapter in SAL’s 'lean' story.
Vanja Roller, executive vice-president maintenance & engineering at Croatia Airlines said, “Croatia Airlines has an excellent relationship with Shannon Aerospace, which delivers on our aircraft maintenance requirements in a consistent and professional manner.
“9A-CTG and 9A-CTH were the first two A319 aircraft to undergo heavy maintenance at SAL this year and we were delighted with the particularly early re-deliveries of both aircraft. A quick and reliable turnaround time is of very obvious value to our business and this, combined with the high quality of the maintenance programmes provided, emphasises the importance of having a strong MRO partner such as Shannon Aerospace. I wish to congratulate all involved in achieving such a good turnaround time on both checks.”
Commenting on the record turnaround times, Martin Kaiser, chief executive of Shannon Aerospace, said, “Our achievement in relation to Croatia Airlines’ programme demonstrates that we, as an organisation, have the capability to implement and sustain change while underlining the role of 'lean' in delivering real benefits and value to our customers.”
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