Airbus Selects Air France Industries as Authorized Completions Provider

Working to expand its completions and support capacity for the Airbus A319CJ Corporate Jetliner, Airbus has selected Air France Industries as its fifth authorized completions provider. At the same time, Air France Industries will joint with UAL's United Services to service ACJs in Europe and the Middle East.

And in a separate announcement here, the ACJ organization selected International Aero Engines' V2500 powerplant as the reference engine for the Corporate Jetliner. The standard ACJ will be delivered to customers equipped with V2527M-A5 engines, rated at 27,000-pounds thrust. The engine will power the ACJ ordered by Qatar Airways, announced on Monday in New Orleans.

Concerning ACJ completions, Air France Industries will outfit up to two Corporate Jetliners a year. Capacity will be expanded to four ACJ completions annually beginning in the second half of next year.

Air France Industries will create a dedicated department for ACJ completions, headquartered in Toulouse, France, next to Airbus headquarters. Twenty five full-time engineers will be assigned to the department.

The French MRO firm has already received two orders for completions from Airbus, according to Richard Gaona, Airbus vice president of the ACJ program.

Air France Industries will joint Lufthansa Technik, Jet Aviation, Ozark Aircraft Systems and Associated Air Center in the ACJ completions business.

On the maintenance side, Air France Industries will be the go-to company when ACJ customers need assistance outside the U.S. (At this time, no ACJs have been sold to U.S.-based customers.) United Services presently operates a one-call-handles-all support operation for the ACJ from Indianapolis. Once a call comes in, operators at United Services will coordinate Air France Industrie assistance for whatever services might be needed: airframe, spare parts, engine support and engine overhaul.

"We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with Air France Industries in providing maintenance and support services to the Airbus Corporate Jetliner market," said Gene House, managing director of United Services, who was on hand for the ACJ press conference. "With United's strong presence in the U.S., Asia and South America, and Air France's equally strong network in Europe and the Middle East, we are able to provide a quality, reliable service to ACJ operators throughout the world."