After inking an agreement in February covering extended support for Air Austral’s 787s, AFI KLM E&M and the Réunion-based airline have closed a deal for total care for the carrier’s 777s, which are already receiving AFI KLM E&M support. The services covered by the contract include Airframe/Engineering maintenance, plus Engine, APU and Component services, together with additional support services for phase out/phase in operations. Component services support will be carried out under the joint AFI KLM E&M and Boeing 777 Component Services Program (CSP).
AFI KLM E&M and Air Austral have worked together for close to ten years, especially on support for the Réunion carrier’s 777s.
Pierre Bosse, Air Austral’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Our airline has relied on the performance and quality of the maintenance services provided by AFI KLM E&M for a number of years. For Air Austral, the ongoing relationship is the guarantee that we will continue to benefit from cutting-edge services to ensure the reliability and availability of our fleet.”
A special aspect of this multidimensional contract is the inclusion of phase-in support for two brand new Boeing 777-300s and phase-out support for two 777s, to be retired from the Air Astral fleet in the first half of 2017. AFI KLM E&M will carry out the work preparatory to re-delivery by the end of 2016, along with the re-delivery shop visits for the four GE90 equipping the aircraft.
Fabrice Defrance, SVP Commercial AFI KLM E&M added: “We are delighted to retain the trust of a long-standing client like Air Austral. This latest contract confirms AFI KLM E&M’s ability to cover all an airline’s operational aircraft maintenance requirements.”
