Domestic

Ameco expanding infrastructure and training

By Wang Xiaotian (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-02 15:26

As airplanes become increasingly complex and air travel increasingly common, the Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Corporation Beijing (Ameco), China's leading airplane maintenance firm, has invested 1.2 billion yuan this year on infrastructure and will expand its training programs over the next few years, a company executive said.

The company says it is keeping step with its estimates of a 6.1 percent average annual growth in air traffic and an annual 7.6 percent increase in demand for plane maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) over the next 20 years.

Ameco opened a 64,000 sq m hangar designed to refit and maintain Airbus A380s, in May last year. In September 2009, the company will also open a one-bay overhaul and paint hangar for wide body aircraft measuring 21,000 sq m, a new 8,000 sq m central storage area for aviation maintenance tools, and a 7,400 sq m extension building for Ameco Aviation College, which the company uses to train its employees in aircraft maintenance.

The 50 million yuan college extension building will enable Ameco to offer more training to its own staff as well as to its major parent company Air China Group's own staff, and other domestic and international customers.

Currently, the college can accommodate about 400 students for training on specific airplane types, and 550 students for basic maintenance training. With the extension, the college will have 41 classrooms and 19 workshops, all equipped with the latest technology.

As a result, "the college will increase its training capability by 50 percent by 2013," said Andreas Meisel, general manager and CEO, during a speech at Ameco Beijing's 20th anniversary news conference on Aug 27.

Despite a slowdown in the aviation maintenance industry, the existing number of qualified mechanics still will not be able to meet the requirements of the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) market, Meisel said. As the next generation of airplanes enters service, the maintenance requirements will be increasingly complicated, and investment in training results in long-term benefits for the company, he explained.

Data from the International Air Transport Association, which advocates for airlines and sets industry standards, reveals that the global air travel industry will require 247,000 mechanics by 2018, and that this number will rise to 420,000 by 2026.

Ameco Beijing was founded as a joint venture in 1989 between Air China, the country's largest airline, and Lufthansa German Airlines. Air China owns 60 percent of Ameco and Lufthansa controls the remaining 40 percent.