Air Works, a MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) aviation services and solutions major, said on Monday it has received the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) Part 145 Approval for its state-of-the-art twin-hangar MRO facility at the Cochin International Airport.
A statement from the company said that with the EASA approval, Air Works will be able to offer full MPD (maintenance planning documents) support for the Airbus 320 family (including A318/ A319/ A320/ A321) for base maintenance up to and including 120-month inspection for all 4 engine options, C-Checks, structural and corrosion inspections.
It will also undertake major repairs and modifications for the Airbus 320 aircraft family to end of-lease-transitions, bridging checks and engine changes. MPDs are provided by aircraft manufacturers to describe the repetitive tasks required to maintain their aircraft.
"The EASA approval will help us expand the scale of our operations and support regional aircraft operators and global lessors," said D Anand Bhaskar, Managing Director & CEO, Air Works Group. The Kochi facility commissioned in March 2021 during the pandemic is already certified by the DGCA.
‘Providing end-to-end engineering services’
“With EASA Part 145 approval, we are now uniquely poised to offer flexible maintenance support to our customers from two independent facilities providing end-to-end engineering & maintenance services,” said Mangesh Karyakarte, Chief Sales Officer-Commercial & Defense MRO, Air Works Group.
Karyakarte added, “The approval enables us to offer and undertake a comprehensive series of maintenance checks and repairs, ranging from simple to complex ones on A320 aircraft that dominate the narrow body market in India, including the various airworthiness directives (AD) & Supplemental Type Certifications (STC) from time to time.”
The Group also undertakes MRO work for the Indian defence forces. Having two independent facilities will allow it to spin them into specialised bases offering a comprehensive yet independent scope of services at each location, creating Centres of Excellence.
“Air Works intends to deepen its capabilities at Kochi by adding Type Approvals for maintenance for the B737NG family,” the statement added.