Etihad Airways, Airberlin align maintenance operations in Chicago
Etihad Airways has opened a line maintenance base at Chicago's O'Hare
International Airport, the UAE flag carrier's seventh outside Abu Dhabi
and its first in the United States.
The new facility is equipped with the latest technology and will
perform all scheduled and non-scheduled line maintenance for Etihad
Airways' daily Boeing 777 aircraft flying into Chicago from the UAE
capital.
In addition, and as a result of growing synergies between partners,
the new base will also provide line maintenance services for airberlin's
new Airbus A330-operated Chicago flights. airberlin begins its three
weekly nonstop Berlin-Chicago services on March 23, rising to five a
week in summer 2013.
James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways,
said: "Extending our new Chicago line maintenance facility to airberlin,
is another excellent example of the value of our strategic partnership,
enabling both carriers to achieve greater technical and cost synergies.
"As partners, it makes operational and commercial sense to work together
on issues such as common maintenance, and we expect the synergies and
efficiencies we achieve through this specific integration to deliver
tangible benefits for both our businesses."
Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Chief Executive Officer of airberlin, said: "airberlin
and Etihad Airways have been working together successfully since the
beginning of their partnership in December 2011 and, by taking a joint
approach, they are always able to find new ways to continue expanding
the synergy potential associated with this cooperation. "The cooperation
between airberlin and Etihad Airways in the area of line maintenance has
already proven its worth. This arrangement sees airberlin maintain the
aircraft of Etihad Airways as part of its line maintenance activities at
its technical locations in Dusseldorf and Munich and, in return, Etihad
Airways maintains the airberlin Airbus A330 in Abu Dhabi.
"For us, it was therefore a logical step to draw on the expertise of
Etihad Airways in terms of maintenance for Chicago, thereby ensuring
high-quality and reliable maintenance at our new US destination."
Etihad Airways is deploying a team of Abu Dhabi-trained line
maintenance aircraft engineers to be based at the new Chicago facility,
with additional engineering support provided by Chicago-based aircraft
maintenance provider, Flightcheck LLC. |