FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines will insource additional component maintenance work in the Brake and Wheel Center (BWC) at its Base Maintenance facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, beginning January 1, 2020. The work will be transitioning from an outside vendor to Tulsa and will include wheel and brake component maintenance for aircraft, including the Airbus A319, A320, A321, A321neo and A330 fleets, as well as Boeing 757 and 787 fleets.

The new component work rounds out a year of growth at Tech Ops – Tulsa. Earlier this year, American and the City of Tulsa invested in a new tail slot modification for Hangar 2D at the base maintenance facility to allow space for larger aircraft. The team also began maintenance work on the first scheduled line of Airbus A319 fleet as well as scheduled maintenance on the Boeing 787 fleet. To support the additional work this year, the base also hired more than 500 maintenance positions.

“This additional wheel and brake component work is great for the Tech Ops – Tulsa team,” said Erik Olund, Managing Director of Base Maintenance at American. “Today’s news is just another example of sustainable, cost-saving work that our highly skilled team of professionals will produce reliably and safely.”

American insources more maintenance work than any other airline. Increasing the component work performed in-house further demonstrates American’s long-term commitment to the Tulsa operation and the talented Base Maintenance team. This new work, and the work that Tech Ops – Tulsa regularly performs today, is an integral part of helping the airline run a safe and reliable operation.

The BWC performs overhaul and repair work on nearly all of the brakes and wheels on American’s fleet. The 80,000-square-foot facility was established in 2014 and is responsible for the machining, engineering and welding of worn brakes and wheels on aircraft.

With the increased maintenance work in the BWC, American expects to add nearly 30 support and Overhaul Support Mechanic positions.

More than 5,400 people currently work at Tech Ops – Tulsa, including more than 100 at the BWC. The 22 buildings on the main base, which includes 3.3 million square feet of hangar and shop space, sit on 330 acres, which makes it the largest commercial aviation maintenance facility in the world.