A firm of Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Aerospace Group will provide major component maintenance and technical training for Virgin Australia, according to an announcement.

SR Technics, which concluded agreements with the airline, will leverage the full scope of Mubadala Aerospace’ global maintenance and repair operations (MRO) capabilities and offer nose-to-tail integrated component solutions (ICS), a Mubadala statement said.

Some of the services will be completed out of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (Adat), SR Technics’ sister company.

The first contract, an ICS agreement, will initially support the airline’s first two Airbus A330, delivered in May 2011. This will extend to cover at least five A330 aircraft in 2013 as the airline expands its fleet. The contract includes component exchange, repair, engineering and logistics services, as well as access to SR Technics’ components pool and component management services, covering a complete package of components including auxiliary power units and line replacement units. Under this agreement SR Technics will manage component inventory pools in Zurich and Melbourne. The ICS has been established in less than six months from initial request to go-live.

SR Technics’ agreements with Virgin Australia are also complemented with a component financing solution from Sanad Aero Solutions, which is part of Mubadala Aerospace.

SR Technics’ Training Services will provide training for the next four years. The scope of this agreement covers B1 and B2 type training and specialised courses, such as engine borescoping. The training is run in Melbourne and marks SR Technics’ entry into the MRO training arena in Australia.

A ‘truly integrated solution’

"This is a clear demonstration of the strength of the combined approach of Mubadala Aerospace’s maintenance and financing businesses coming together. Together we can offer our industry partners, such as Virgin Australia, a truly integrated solution, tailored to their requirements," commented James Stewart, CEO of SR Technics. "We see these contracts as the cornerstones for increased engagement for SR Technics in Australia."

Troy Lambeth, Sanad CEO, added, "We are excited to see another example of the market’s appetite for our expanding product offering in support of SR Technics and Adat. This component spare inventory solution provides Virgin Australia with new and sustainable options to preserve liquidity and access to new capital and we are pleased to add them as an industry partner."

‘Significant time saver’

Virgin Australia’s group executive for operations, Sean Donohue, remarked that for Virgin Australia, "this innovative agreement" vastly simplified component maintenance support processes for the airline’s A330 fleet. Having just one contact for component support, regardless of manufacturer, would be a significant time saver for Virgin Australia’s engineering team. "Over the course of this agreement we expect to achieve significant cost benefits for the airline," he added.