Direct Maintenance, a certified line maintenance service provider, part of Magnetic MRO, announced the recent expansion of their partnership agreement with China Southern Airlines, one of Asia’s leading airlines and taking over full technical handling of the operator’s fleet line maintenance services in Nairobi, Kenya.

"This is the first time a Chinese aircraft has been fully handled by an authorized third-party line maintenance provider in Africa, “ said Jacco Klerk, Managing Director at Direct Maintenance, about a true joint landmark achievement.

Since 2015 Direct Maintenance has provided line maintenance technical support and related logistics services for A330 on the Changsha-Nairobi route for China Southern Airlines.

"Direct Maintenance has won a spontaneous recognition from China Southern’s team and their supervisors, by efficient and high-calibre line maintenance services, its rapid and independent emergency response mechanism, and customized exclusive service plans as well, which laid a solid foundation for the strengthened cooperation between China Southern Airlines and Direct Maintenance,“ expressed Alfred Wang, Customer Service Manager at Direct Maintenance.

According to Wang, Direct Maintenance is the only line maintenance provider holding FAA Repair Station approval in Kenya and various other African countries, also was the first ever to support B787 line maintenance in Kenya.

"I am very pleased with the recent extension of the partnership with China Southern as it is a great indicator of the mutual trust between two companies which has been developing ever since our cooperation in Nairobi started in 2015. It is also an important milestone for both our team in NBO as well as to the whole company, and we are excited to start this new chapter,“ shared Mandeep Rana, Head of Sales at Direct Maintenance.

Direct Maintenance covers over 70 aircraft and engine combinations, including A320NEO, A350-900/1000, A380, B737 MAX, B747-8 and B787 in over 20 different locations in Europe and Africa.