Air France-KLM MRO to ‘gradually increase’ stake in Max Aerospace

We will study the Indian market and I am sure in the coming years, the equity participation would go to or above 50 per cent.
—Franck Terner, President, Air France Industries

Air France Industries-KLM Engineering & Maintenance will be signing a strategic partnership agreement with Max Aerospace in the coming few weeks to build a global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) network in the Indian subcontinent. AFI-KLM will take a 20 per cent stake in Max Aerospace which already has maintenance facilities in Mumbai. The AFI-KLM partnership will be in the area of component and engine component repair.

Talking to SP’s Aviation, Franck Terner, President of Air France Industries, said, “The reason for AFI to take a 20 per cent stake is that we respect the Indian partner who has a fair presence. We will study the Indian market and I am sure in the coming years, the equity participation would go to or above 50 per cent.” Max Aerospace provides maintenance support to over 150 aircraft operated by all domestic airlines in the Indian market.

Terner said that the MRO would position itself to respond to the requirements of the new aircraft such as the A320neo and Boeing 737NG coming into the market by providing component support facility. AFIKLM E&M would continue to supply multi-product MRO solutions with capabilities for Boeing, Airbus and regional fleet, notably for newgeneration aircraft. The company which has over 150 airline customers worldwide is a leader in component support services for the A320 family, A330, A340 and Boeing 737NG and 777 aircraft.

He said that the company was pursuing a strategy of developing facilities in the world’s most strategic regions with its approach to provide quality service while seeking to lower costs; local service delivery for optimised turnaround time and extended capabilities.

Talking about the initiatives the company had taken, Terner specifically mentioned the ‘green maintenance’ approach. One of the approaches included Ecoshine wherein all 256 aircraft in the Air France fleet will progressively be polished by Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Orly by service provider using its damp de-pollution technique which on average uses eight cubic metre of water less per aircraft washed. The savings on water for 256 aircraft was substantial.

During the Paris Air Show, AFI-KLM E&M tied up with Avtrade, a worldwide specialist in the management and sale of aircraft spares. The combination of know-how between a globally respected MRO, and a spares trading specialist aimed to offer airlines and fleet operators the best component support skills on the market. It would be initially deployed for A330 components.