The upturn in the US economy may still be no better than modest, but it is more than enough, it seems, for owners and operators to get busy upgrading and renovating their fleet interiors. AMAC has certainly been enjoying the upturn in the economy and has benefitted too, from winning a number of heavy maintenance projects through 2015.
In late October AMAC announced that it had both won a new project and returned to major maintenance and refurbishment projects back to service. The new project involves an undisclosed Head-of-State client putting an A340 into AMAC’s Basel facility. The A340 is there for a heavy maintenance check and at the same time AMAC have been requested to carry out various cabin modifications and upgrades. These include a seat and divan refurbishment, a SATCOM upgrade and a carpet replacement. AMAC was chosen by the client in view of the company’s extensive experience in working on customized VVIP aircrafts and aircraft cabins.
AMAC also completed work on an A320, which was returned to another undisclosed Head-of-State customer following a heavy base maintenance check that, once again, included a SATCOM and cabin connectivity upgrade, giving the client access to GSM while on board.
A separate project involved the completion of work on a BBJ following a cabin refurbishment and maintenance work. The BBJ was sold on to a new customer who selected AMAC to install a new design concept in the cabin. This involved changing the colours and materials of the seats and divans. The facility’s track record in meeting tight deadlines was a major factor in this project win, according to an AMAC spokesperson, since the project had both a very short lead time and limited ground time available.
AMAC provided complete and comprehensive support with regard to the prebuy inspection, all rectification, refurbishment and maintenance work as well as the asset transfer to the new owner. AMAC has also provided assistance to enable a smooth transition to the customer`s newly appointed CAMO (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation).
These October successes follow hard on the heels of a very successful September for AMAC. During September AMAC was able to announce the successful return to service of two A319 VIP aircraft. The first was after an STC level modification and heavy base maintenance work on the aircraft.
The customer took advantage of the down time necessitated by the maintenance, to have AMAC carry out a refurbishment of the interior, including the laying of a customized VIP carpet, replacing the existing one, and the re-upholstery of all seats and divans. AMAC also installed a new in flight entertainment system offering HD monitors as well as audio video on demand with wireless streaming to personal electronic devices. A second stand alone high speed SATCOM system was installed to offer passengers further connectivity. The cabinet modifications enabled AMAC to develop additional storage capacity and more space in the cabin – all of which was very well received by the client.
The heavy base maintenance project included landing gear overhauls. The cabin refurbishment was performed and certified on time despite a very challenging window of opportunity. The ground time available was restricted in order to meet the customer’s operational requirements and expectations.
The other project involved a second C-Check on an A319 aircraft. This was performed in a very challenging ground time to meet the customers’ requirements and expectations. Various cabin rectifications were carried out along with avionic cockpit upgrades. During the C-Check, an upgrade of the SATCOM system was performed to incorporate SWIFT broadband capability to the cabin. The customer made it known that he is completely satisfied with the on- time delivery of his A319 and AMAC`s high quality of workmanship.