Czech Airlines Technics (CSAT), a daughter company of the Czech Aeroholding Group providing aircraft maintenance services, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GA Telesis (GAT), a US-based key player within the aviation and aerospace industries, at the MRO Europe in London. Based on the agreement, the two companies are to form an integrated supply chain partnership and offer customers a complex service for ATR turboprop aircraft. The service will also cover the support of rotating aircraft parts including repairs, spare parts inventory and logistics.
“We are pleased that the co-operation with GA Telesis will help us strengthen our position of a service provider to customers operating ATR turboprop aircraft. The partnership will also help us to promote Czech Airlines Technics’ services globally,” Zdeněk Soukal, Vice-Chairman of CSAT Board of Directors said, adding: “We will continue to increase the capacity of our department specialised in component repairs of rotating aircraft parts and to expand our aircraft repair and maintenance business.”
The new joint product will be provided based on a “Power by Hour” program, charging air carriers a fee according to flight hours. Under the program, CSAT workers will be in charge of performing repairs of rotating aircraft parts, such as propeller blades, for GAT clients using either its own capacity or via external partners. The partner company will be in charge of the spare parts inventory, logistics and storage. The companies will join efforts in terms of business support and search for new customers.
“We are extremely proud to partner with a global MRO such as Czech Airlines Technics to expand our regional airframe support footprint,” Jason Reed, President of the Component Solutions Group at GA Telesis, said, adding: “CSAT was able to provide significant value and complimentary support to our growing aftermarket iGEAR support services program. Our announcement continues to add to GA Telesis’s commitment to Intelligently Defining Aviation™.”
The creation of a special storage, a pool, of components for rotating aircraft parts into which CSAT is to deposit the spare parts it currently owns and cannot sufficiently use is also a part of the agreement between the parties. GAT will subsequently supply the pool with additional spare parts and components to ensure it covers all requests by future customers. GAT has created a special tool called iGEAR (Intelligent Global Engine & Airframe Replenishment) to facilitate access to the pool.
The partnership has been entered into for a five-year period with the option of extension thereafter. Final terms and conditions of co-operation will be specified by the end of the year.