Etihad Airways Engineering and Airbus sign MoU to develop A380 MRO Services in Abu Dhabi

Providing A380 operators with turnkey ‘heavy-check’ and upgrades services under one roof

Etihad Airways Engineering and Airbus have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work jointly on the development of a new A380 MRO Services offering. With this partnership Airbus and Etihad Airways Engineering will combine their respective skills to offer the market a value-adding MRO service solution for worldwide A380 operators, starting in 2017.

The partnership aims to establish A380 Maintenance, Engineering and Upgrades capabilities in Abu Dhabi to provide third-party support for airlines’ A380 fleets by providing them with efficient turnkey solutions. A380 customers will thus be able to have their A380 fleets’ heavy maintenance checks and upgrades installations performed concurrently ‘under one roof’ in Abu Dhabi. In addition, all necessary consumable and expendable parts (needed for the heavy checks and upgrades service bulletin embodiment) will be provided on-site by Airbus’ dedicated inventory management subsidiary – Satair Group.

The service will also be particularly useful to those A380 operators who already have ‘in-house’ MRO capability, but whose own facilities are fully booked with work and therefore need to offload some heavy checks and upgrades to a third-party facility which is backed by Airbus. To this end, Airbus is proud to count Etihad Airways Engineering as a valuable partner to offer these services, in the relentless pursuit of innovation, quality and competitiveness.

Airbus and Etihad Airways Engineering have a long-standing history of successful collaboration on delivering A380 MRO services. Etihad Airways Engineering also just recently delivered ahead of schedule Etihad Airways’ first A380 heavy maintenance C-check along with an extensive cabin refresh. Leveraging Etihad Airways’ highest cabin standards, Etihad Airways Engineering is uniquely positioned with strong expertise to deliver major cabin modifications.

Etihad Airways Engineering is the largest commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider in the Middle East. As part of the Etihad Aviation Group, the company offers line, light and heavy maintenance services around the clock, including design, advanced composite repair, cabin refurbishment and component services, from its state-of-the-art facility adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Airbus, a division of Airbus Group, is the global leading commercial aircraft manufacturer with the most modern, comprehensive and efficient family of airliners, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus has sold around 16,750 aircraft to over 400 customers and, in addition, provides the highest standard of customer support and training through an expanding international network. Airbus employs some 55,000 people and in 2015 generated revenues of 45.9 billion Euros.