Bruker has developed a non-destructive open beam X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) inspection device that is capable of detecting microstructural variations in metal parts.   

The new technology will allow GE Aerospace to improve the quality and detail of part inspections and help reduce the airline精东影业 costs by more accurately pinpointing repaired parts that can be reused and those that need to be replaced.听聽

鈥淭his will help reduce supply chain constraints with the manufacture of new parts, improving the overall turnaround time of our engine overhauls,鈥� GE Aerospace said.  

The new process and device are already deployed in the art world to expose forgeries where detailed inspections of materials are crucial in determining whether a painting or sculpture is genuine.  

The technology will be used at GE Aerospace精东影业 new Services Technology Acceleration Center (STAC), in Springdale, Ohio, which opens in September 2024.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to be opening our new STAC facility, which will serve as a major accelerator for scaling and deploying cutting edge inspection and repair processes to market,鈥� said Nicole Jenkins, Chief MRO Engineer, GE Aerospace.听聽

She added: 鈥淲e have already begun moving equipment into the facility and preparing to launch our first inspection process that takes a page from the art world to improve the quality and speed of detecting chemical anomalies in metal parts.鈥� 

Both artwork and metal parts in jet engines contain a chemical composition so the technology can be applied broadly and accurately to both.  

In art and conservation, XRF is used to image and see aspects of an art object精东影业 chemical composition that can tell you about the history of its origin and how to restore it or, in some cases, whether the piece is real or fake.  

For metal part inspections, the XRF provides a view of the part精东影业 chemical composition that can help a service engineer more-readily spot anomalies. 

鈥淲e are excited to extend our most advanced XRF technology into the Aerospace industry, contributing to set a new standard in non-destructive chemical analysis techniques and therefore helping to support aircraft component re-manufacturing quality,鈥� Thomas Schuelein, President of Bruker精东影业 , said.听聽

GE Aerospace already adopts ultrasound, computed tomography, flash thermography, eddy current testing, fluorescent penetrant inspection, and dimensional metrology to inspect engine components, depending on what can best interrogate a given material or part. 

鈥淲ith the new XRF technology we have developed in partnership with Bruker, we鈥檙e inspecting metal jet engine parts at the same level of forensic detail museums and auction houses use to identify forged pieces of artwork. This new inspection will allow us to be even more vigilant with verifying the integrity of metal parts,鈥� Jenkins added.听聽聽聽聽

Croatia Airlines launches new livery and logo as first Airbus A220 arrival nears

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-19

News of the agreement was announced on February 21, 2024, as the aviation community gather in Asia for the .听

Of the 35 planes set to be fitted with the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engine nine are Airbus A321XLR aircraft. 

According to , JetSMART currently has 93 A320neo family aircraft on order.听聽

In June 2019, JetSMART selected the GTF engine to power 70 A320neo family aircraft while the airline also operates an additional 15 leased GTF powered A320neos.听聽

A fleet of 11 A320ceo family aircraft are powered by the V2500 engine. 

鈥淲e are pleased to select additional GTF engines for our A320neo family fleet, as a key element to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20%, with a 75% smaller noise footprint. All of this contributes to our ULCC model and commitment to low fares and sustainable aviation, providing a better experience to our customers,” Estuardo Ortiz, CEO, JetSMART, said. 

Pratt & Whitney will also provide JetSMART with GTF engine maintenance through an EngineWise Comprehensive service agreement.   

“We are building upon our collaboration with JetSMART as they drive continued expansion in the Latin American market,” Rick Deurloo, President of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney, said. “With unmatched fuel efficiency, payload and range, GTF engines will enable JetSMART to open new routes across South America and fly more people, farther, with less fuel and lower carbon emissions.”聽

Exploring the use of robotics and automation to enhance airport ground handling

• Aviation Technology and Innovation

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-07-06

The SFO announced on December 6, 2023, that a dawn raid was carried out at an address in Greater London alongside officers from the (NGA) and material was seized.

The arrest and raid on the property represents an escalation in the AOG Technics fake parts scandal that has largely been constrained to airlines and engine manufacturers sporadically announcing which carriers have been affected.

鈥淭his investigation deals with very serious allegations of fraud involving the supply of aircraft parts, the consequences of which are potentially far reaching. The SFO is best placed to take this investigation forward vigorously and we are determined to establish the facts as swiftly as possible,鈥� Nick Ephgrave QPM, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, said.

Ryanair was the most recent airline to confirm that it has found unauthorized parts in two of its aircraft engines.

The engines of concern that AOG Technics is said to have supplied parts for are the CFM56, used in older-generation Airbus SE A320 and Boeing 737 planes, and CF6, used on cargo aircraft.

On September 7, 2023, a lawsuit against AOG Technics was filed in the UK by CFM International, a joint venture of General Electric and Safran SA, that make the CFM56 and CF6 engines.

On September 20, 2023, at the High Court in London CFM International successfully argued for AOG Technics to release documents showing sales of any CFM56 and CF6 parts.

According to the SFO, the parts were mostly sold to overseas companies that install airline parts, as well as some UK airlines, maintenance providers and parts suppliers.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the United States鈥� Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued alerts earlier this year to aviation businesses who may have bought or installed AOG精东影业 parts and continue to manage the safety implications involved.

精东影业 has identified eight airlines that have publicly confirmed that they have been impacted by AOG practices, namely Delta Air Lines, WestJet, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, TAP, Virgin Australia Airlines and now Ryanair.

The SFO said it is working closely with the CAA and other regulators to examine the information obtained as it advances its criminal investigation into suspected fraud at this firm and determines whether there are grounds for prosecution.

Ryanair becomes the latest airline to discover dubious CFM engine parts聽聽

• Aircraft

byLuke Peters

2023-12-01

The Dublin-based airline group has reported that the suspect parts were discovered during scheduled maintenance checks in engines sent to overhaul centers located in Texas and Brazil in recent months. The rogue parts have since been removed from the engines, Chief Executive Officer Michael O鈥橪eary said in an interview in Dublin on November 30, 2023.  

Various aviation authorities and regulators worldwide have accused a little-known London-based organization, AOG Technics, of supplying thousands of engine parts with faked certification documents for both Airbus and Boeing aircraft. 

The types affected include older generation 737-800s used by United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Virgin Australia, with Ryanair now joining the list.听聽

O鈥橪eary told reporters that he believed AOG supplied the parts that inadvertently ended up in Ryanair精东影业 fleet. The Irish low-budget airline 鈥渉as never done business directly with AOG, receiving the component for two engines instead via third parties, and the carrier remains largely unaffected overall by the scandal,鈥� the CEO said.鈥� 

Ryanair operates a 540-strong Boeing 737 fleet and has about 1,500 engines under the group精东影业 ownership, according to O鈥橪eary.听

The CFM56 engine affected by the scandal is the most popular type of aero engine in global aircraft fleets. The power plant is manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture between Safran of France and General Electric of the USA.听聽

In October 2023, CFM International said that they had so far found 126 CFM-56 engines containing suspect parts sold by AOG. Indeed, the company disclosed that some had been fitted on engines being overhauled in its own repair shops.鈥� 

Airlines were ordered to check their spare CFM engine parts inventories after the use of unauthenticated parts was first reported by several airlines in September 2023. The components found in the Ryanair engines have been sent to the consortium leading the investigation into AOG while the engines remain in shops, O鈥橪eary added.  

In the wake of the engine parts scandal, there needs to be tighter control over third parties who supply parts for jet engines, according to O鈥橪eary.  

鈥淕iven the level of paperwork that already exists, I鈥檓 not quite sure how anybody was able to come up with dodgy parts,鈥� he added.听聽

Two Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800s grounded due to concerns over engine parts

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2023-09-18

The budget airline group posted an operating profit of 鈧�522.9 million ($559.8 million) for the six months to September 30. This compares favourably to the loss of 鈧�63.8 million euros ($68.2) in the same period of 2022.  

The second quarter (Q2) was particularly lucrative for the airline, with post-tax profits closing five times higher on a yearly comparative. 

The company carried just under 33 million passengers in the period, an increase of 27% compared to the same period in 2022.  

Average seat kilometres (ASK), an indicator of capacity and fleet management, also increased 27% year on year, with unit costs per ASK falling more than 12%. 

According to the airline, cheaper, well-hedged fuel prices offset sharp rises in staff, maintenance and marketing costs. 

Announcing the latest results, Wizz Air精东影业 Chief Executive, J贸zsef V谩radi, said, 鈥淭his summer we delivered significantly improved operational performance compared to last year. There were fewer flight cancellations, and overall fleet utilisation and productivity increased year on year. Our revenue and profit results reflect the higher volumes we now operate and the enormous amount of work and investment over the past three years.鈥� 

Not all plain sailing  

Despite all the good news, the airline remains cautious about the immediate future amid various factors affecting the airline sector.  

As a result, Wizz Air has narrowed its annual profit forecast below analysts’ expectations. The airline cites continuing macroeconomic uncertainty and difficult operating conditions, along with international unrest, for the downgrading of its projections. Consequently, the Wizz Air share price fell 6.3% in early morning trading. 

Wizz Air is not alone in taking a cautious stance. Many European-based airlines have reported strong results this quarter yet are warning of an uncertain outlook as jet fuel prices remain volatile, and supply chain issues and a lack of economic clarity prevail.  

Wizz Air is also one of the main airlines hit by issues with engines manufactured by RTX this year and has said it will be forced into capacity reductions as a result. This type of engine powers many of the airline group精东影业 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft fleet.听

Aerospace supplier RTX said in September that 600 to 700 of its geared turbofan engines (GTF) would have to be removed for quality checks, likely to result in some aircraft being grounded. 

Analysts say that while the proportion of the European short-haul fleet that is grounded is small, this could have a noticeable impact on competition and, therefore, pricing in the summer of 2024.  

The airline said it was on track to receive a delivery of a further 21 A321neo planes by the end of the 2024 financial year and that it had secured compensation from RTX over the need to inspect engines on its aircraft. 

Speaking on the engine inspection issue, Varadi said, “The bigger issue is really how to complete the engine inspection program with the least degree of disruptions to the operation.鈥�  

The airline expects to have 45 aircraft grounded at the start of 2024, and the carrier expects its current growth rate to slow as a result. 

According to the engine maker, it has identified 126 engines suspected of being fitted with falsely documented parts to date. 

During extensive reviews CFM International even identified four instances where parts from AOG entered its own Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facilities, impacting 16 engines.  

In its update on October 4, 2023, CFM said the 126 affected engines reflected 鈥渓ess than one percent of the 22,600 CFM56 engines in service globally鈥�. 

It added: 鈥淲e promptly informed the impacted operators, and we are removing the parts associated with AOG parts at no cost.鈥� 

One instance where unverified parts entered its own facilities was through . The other three occasions involved indirect purchases from suppliers who sourced parts with falsified forms from AOG and unknowingly sold them to CFM. A further 110 instances affected engines at non-OEM facilities.  

In September 2023 CFM said that 96 engines had been affected.   

CFM also confirmed on October 4, 2023, that it is reviewing documents that AOG were forced to hand over to the engine maker due to a High Court ruling in the United Kingdom (UK) on September 20, 2023.  

A spokesperson for CFM said: 鈥淐FM is reviewing the documentation turned over by AOG Technics as part of our effort to determine the full extent of their sale of parts with fraudulent documentation. We are working collaboratively with operators so they can promptly remove the unauthorized parts from their engines in accordance with the recommendations issued by the regulatory agencies. We remain united with the aviation community in working to keep unapproved parts out of the global supply chain.鈥� 

To date, CFM, a joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, has identified 95 falsified documents covering 61 CFM56 part numbers and two falsified documents covering two CF6 part numbers. 

It is understood that the 鈥渕ajority of the parts involved are non-serialized items like bolts, nuts, washers, dampers, seals and bushings,鈥� and CFM aren鈥檛 aware of any fraudulent documentation associated with life-limited parts. 

Delta Air Lines and WestJet are the latest airlines to confirm they have been affected by the AOG parts scandal. 

American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, TAP and Virgin Australia Airlines have all previously confirmed the same.  

WestJet and Delta are latest airlines drawn into AOG Technics parts scandal

• Airlines
• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

2023-10-04

Asked whether he was planning to buy regional hybrid or electric aircraft, Gus Kelly, CEO of AerCap, said there were some major obstacles.   

鈥淭he challenge at the moment is you can only get four seats – three passengers and a pilot, so it精东影业 very hard to see you could ever make money out of that,鈥� he told the conference.  

He also queried whether such aircraft would ever be allowed to land airside at airports, where they will be competing with existing traffic. Kelly dismissed the concept of having eVTOLs picking up people from the top of skyscrapers in cities, such as London or Sao Paulo, saying it was unlikely the owners would allow random passengers to go up to the top floor of their building.  

While other leasing companies have invested into electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), with Avolon ordering 500 units from Vertical Aerospace to place with customers for example, Kelly remains skeptical.  

鈥淚 don’t see it getting certified without a pilot on board,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淭hey’re big units as well, you don’t want one of these things landing inside your front garden.鈥�  

Kelly精东影业 comments came a day after Boeing-backed Wisk unveiled the sixth generation of its autonomous electric taxi, which it hopes to get certified and bring to market.  

Wisk shows off the new self-flying air taxi that it wants to bring to market

• Aviation Technology and Innovation

byVictoria Bryan

2022-10-04

However, Kelly acknowledged the eVTOL industry has to start somewhere and they could be useful in terms of transporting freight.  

鈥淚 do think eVTOLs have a role to play, but maybe not transferring human cargo. There could be a role for them to replace vans and on the road. For sure, there is some utility for them, but not necessarily for passengers anytime soon.鈥� 

Despite research into electric and hydrogen technologies, Kelly said he expected the aviation industry to be powered by hydrocarbons for a long time to come, noting that a lot depended on the engine manufacturers.  

鈥淚t精东影业 an inconvenient truth of the industry. No engine manufacturer is working on any engine that will come to market before 2040 and operate on anything other than Jet A1. So that精东影业 what we鈥檙e going to buy,鈥� he said.  

鈥淚 don’t think in my working life, and I should be working for three more decades, that we’re going to see anything other than Jet A1 being the main source of propulsion, or a derivative of it,鈥� he said, referring to sustainable aviation fuel.  

Despite current challenges, is there growth ahead for European aviation?

• Civil Aviation

byVictoria Bryan

2022-10-04

Speaking to investors during an executive meeting on July 26, 2022, GE Aviation精东影业 CEO Lawrence Culp explained that as the industry faces 鈥渁n unprecedented ramp鈥� in demand as the pandemic begins to ease, 鈥渃oupled with labor and material shortages鈥� the manufacturer is unable to deliver the right number of engines in line with the agreed client schedule.   

鈥淥ur major airframer customers need more engines from us than we are providing. The supply chain challenges in the aerospace industry are far broader than any one commodity,鈥� the CEO was cited as saying by .  

Culp also said that the manufacturer remains in close contact with suppliers in a bid to increase engine production rates. 

Most discussions concern Leap high-bypass turbofan engines used to power Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo family aircraft. 

According to the company精东影业 lates financial , released by GE Aviation on July 26, 2022, CFM International, which GE Aviation co-owns with Safran Aircraft Engines, delivered 226 Leap turbofan engines during Q2 2022, compared to 211 engine deliveries the company made in Q2 during the previous year.  

CFM International managed to deliver more than 465 Leap turbofans in H1 2022 compared to 399 engines in H1 2021. 

But these figures do not look promising when compared to the number of Leap engines delivered before the global pandemic, with CFM International delivering 861 during the same period in 2019.  

However, GE Aviation manages to end Q2 2022 with a $1.1 billion profit compared to $176 million during the same period in 2021.  

Airbus and CFM to use A380 aircraft as open fan engine testbed

• 精东影业 at Farnborough 2022

byVyte Klisauskaite

2022-07-19

Prior to Russia精东影业 invasion of Ukraine, AerCap had 135 aircraft and 14 engines on lease with Russian airlines, representing about 5% of AerCap精东影业 fleet. 

The company has managed to retrieve 22 aircraft and three engines, leaving 113 aircraft and 11 engines still in Russia.  

鈥淒uring the first quarter, we ceased all of our leasing activity to Russian airlines and took a charge primarily related to our aircraft and engines that remain in Russia,鈥� chief executive Aengus Kelly commented in a first quarter earnings statement on May 17, 2022.   

鈥淭he reality is all of those aircraft are gone, whether it was to private or state-owned [airlines],鈥� Kelly commented to analysts when asked on an earnings call if it made a difference whether aircraft were leased to private or state-owned airlines.  

Along with the aircraft and engines, AerCap has also written down other items linked to those aircraft such as security deposits and maintenance reserves.  

AerCap has also managed to offset some of the write-downs by calling in letters of credit related to the aircraft and engines leased to Russian airlines. The letters of credit total approximately $260 million and it has received payments for $210 million.  

鈥淲e have initiated legal proceedings against one financial institution which rejected our payment demands in respect of certain letters of credit,鈥� AerCap said in the earnings statement.   

AerCap confirmed it had filed a $3.5 billion insurance claim covering all engines and aircraft remaining in Russia and said it intended to 鈥渧igorously pursue鈥� all options to recover its losses. 

鈥淗owever, the timing and amount of any recoveries under these policies are uncertain and we have not recognized any claim receivables as of March 31, 2022,鈥� AerCap said in the first-quarter earnings statement.  

Asked by an analyst whether AerCap was still having conversations with its Russian customers, Kelly highlighted that dialogue resulted in the retrieval of the 22 aircraft previously in Russia. 鈥淲e continue to work with them to mitigate our risk there,鈥� he added.  

The write-off led to AerCap reporting a net loss of $2 billion for the first quarter of 2022. Without the charges linked to Russia, AerCap made a net income of $540 million.  

Aircraft lessors set for insurance cost shock after Russian sanctions

• War in Ukraine

byVictoria Bryan

2022-04-07

Unavoidably, if the shop visit requires the replacement of all LLPs (Life-Limited Parts) and HPT blades (High-Pressure Turbine) the engine精东影业 owner can expect to incur a high material value cost. As an alternative, engine owners can opt for using PMA (Parts Manufacturer Approval) 鈥� used serviceable parts 鈥� however, many airlines and lessors are reluctant and prefer to avoid the use of such parts.

The future of the engine MRO industry now dictates that digital transformation, using big data and AI technologies for data tracking and parts procurement, will greatly increase the efficiency of maintenance procedures right across the industry.

Leading MRO providers advocate the building of strong relationships with aftermarket distributors. These relationships can include personalised partnership agreements for the sharing of data, creating a commitment to the procurement of materials using an agreed pricing strategy, agreement on the range of specific repairs to be carried out, the locations of approved repair stations, and the types of certificates required, and parameters for optimum material delivery schedules.

Good relationship management with aftermarket distributors can offer greater cost savings, stricter quality control, optimised delivery times, and greatly reduced inventory-carrying costs. The benefits of an enhanced and close-knit relationship offer maximum benefits to the MRO provider, the MRO customer, and the aftermarket distributor.

Anything that helps to minimise labour costs is also a win-win situation for all parties. Newly advanced automation technologies analyse aircraft data to generate diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive alerts in other to streamline MRO processes and reduce labour costs.

Having the right materials available at just the right time 鈥� good vendor management 鈥� either from OEMs or key suppliers, is essential for meeting customers鈥� turnaround deadlines while playing a significant role in growing the MRO operator精东影业 reputation.

For MRO providers, offering value for the customer精东影业 money is one of their highest priorities. As every engine type needs a particular type of engine stand it would be highly impractical, and highly expensive, to have multiple stands, weighing several tons, filling an organisation精东影业 inventory space.

According to Toma Matutyte, CEO of EngineStands, a family member of Avia Solutions Group, 鈥淢ROs, leasing companies, and airlines have two choices for their consideration when it comes to engine stands. 1) To overcrowd their inventory with seldom-used but important stands or 2) to lease the necessary stands only for the required period of engine maintenance. As time and cost concerns are paramount for our clients, we offer high-quality stands built according to OEM specifications and approved engine OEMs, while also providing quickly expedited worldwide shipping services for all lease orders, reducing downtime and growing profit capabilities.鈥�