AirAsia PH parent cops aircraft maintenance deal

BALI, Indonesia — The parent company of AirAsia Philippines inked a partnership with Indonesian maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company PT Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia Tbk (GMF) to improve aircraft availability amid the resurgence of demand for air travel.

Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes, in a press briefing here on Wednesday, said this collaboration would allow them to deploy more jets to service routes.

“We can have quicker turnaround and better cost for the airlines. Faster turnaround means we can use it (aircraft) more often,” he said.

READ: AirAsia eyes more local routes with prepandemic fleet count

Fernandes explained that maintenance period varies for each aircraft, but turnaround ranged from 90 days to 450 days.

He underscored the need for better aircraft availability as the aviation sector grappled with a global supply chain crunch amid the lack of spare parts. Jets have been parked for a longer period of time, resulting in the cancellation or suspension of flights and leaving passengers stranded in airports.

The strategic joint investment was sealed through Capital A’s MRO subsidiary Asia Digital Engineering (ADE) during the Inaugural Bali International Airshow.

“By combining GMF’s expertise in landing gear services with our cutting-edge efficiencies, we are set to transform the industry and establish new benchmarks,” said ADE CEO Mahesh Kumamoto.

“Together, we aim to elevate the quality, efficiency, and range of services we offer, making Southeast Asia a leader in aviation maintenance,” GMF CEO Andi Fahrurrozi added.

To prepandemic fleet

GMF provides landing gear overhaul and maintenance services, including disassembly, inspection, repair and reassembly of landing gear components.

AirAsia Philippines currently operates a 16-jet fleet. It is hoping to restore this to the prepandemic level of 24 jets by next year.

The airline is targeting to relaunch its Zamboanga and General Santos routes from Manila, which used to operate twice daily. It is also eyeing to set up flights to Dumaguete, Legazpi, Tuguegarao and Butuan.