Etihad Airways and Tarmac Aerosave to expand jet maintenance services worldwide

Etihad to carry out Airbus A350 maintenance checks in Abu Dhabi from March 2019

Etihad Airways' engineering unit is expanding its MRO services through a partnership with AIrbus-backed Tarmac Aerosave. Courtesy Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways and Tarmac Aerosave, a pan-European aircraft maintenance and storage company, will partner to expand their maintenace, repair and overhaul (MRO) services globally.

Etihad's engineering unit, the largest MRO services provider in the Middle East, signed an agreement with Airbus-backed Tarmac Aerosave for look for opportunities to develop and extend so-called Part 145 aircraft maintenance services to their customers, the airline said in a press release on Monday. Part 145 is a company level certification granted by aviation regulatory bodies such as EASA in Europe and the FAA in the US covering standards of design, production, maintenance and operation of aircraft components.

The two companies completed an Airbus A350 C-check in January for a Latin American airline at the Tarmac Aerosave facility in Tarbes, France, Etihad Air said without identifying the carrier. A C-check is extensive and requires a large majority of the aircraft's components to be inspected.

The collaboration with Tarmac Aerosave "enhances our ability to support our customers and represents a key milestone on our journey to add the A350 to our extensive range of MRO capabilities", said Abdul Khaliq Saeed, Etihad Airways Engineering's chief executive.

The A350 extensive maintenance check provided an opportunity for Etihad Airways Engineering’s staff to complete hands-on Part 147 A350 training. The company will begin performing A350 maintenance checks in Abu Dhabi starting next month.

Tarmac Aerosave is jointly owned by Airbus, French aerospace supplier Safran and global water and waste management company Suez.
Tarmac Aerosave's three sites in France and Spain can accommodate up to 300 aircraft and its maintenance services cover the main commercial jet makers Airbus, Boeing, ATR, Bombardier and Embraer.