ASTAAS Flies High On 747

T he realisation of the need for Section 41 modifications was one of the most important developments in the marketing of 7 4 7 maintenance – and one that conveniently came about just when ASTAAS was being established. Section 41 is the nose section forward and just aft of the forward passenger door. Inspections of several older, high cycle 747s revealed alarming cracks in this section’s structure caused by fatigue from each pressurisation/ depressurisation flight cycle. Small cracks in the fuselage frames are noticeable at 8,000 cycles and become progressively more extensive and widespread. Such was the problem’s complexity, that Boeing determined the only safe course of action to be the virtual rebuilding of the entire nose section, which must now be undertaken on all series -100, -200 and some -300 aircraft with 20,000 flight cycles; later 747-300s and all -400s incorporate modifications which solve the problem.

With Section 41 modifications made mandatory by the US FAA on all affected 7 4 7s,ASTAAS committed itself to training personnel to undertake the work so the company could take full advantage of this unique and well timed opportunity. The potential of the Section 41 niche market is such that Lance Strong, ASTAAS Business Development and Marketing Manager, has estimated that some 680 747s will eventually require Section 41 mods, and supported by its growing reputation aims to have at least 10% of these aircraft pass through its hangar doors.

ASTAAS’s presence in the Section 41 modification market was cemented in late 1989 when, with its personnel sufficiently trained, it received official Boeing Section 41 approval. In January 1990, it was contracted by Boeing to carry out Section 41 programs on eleven 747s – eightAll Nippon Airways (ANA), two Virgin Atlantic and one Aer Lingus aircraft – over two years.

Each Section 41 program usually requires 45-50 days (and up to 32,000 manhours) to complete, with engineering personnel using Boeing supplied kits. F low-on work, however, usually lengthens the time the aircraft spends with the company. For instance, when the third ANA 747 entered the hangar last year, instead of staying 45-50 days the aircraft remained for 67 days to have C and D checks completed and other work such as tear strap repairs to its wings carried out.

Such work keeps ASTAAS personnel very busy and earns the company valuable foreign income. During 1990 Section 41 programs on one Aer Lingus and three ANA 747s (under the Boeing contract) were completed, as was maintenance on one Virgin Atlantic and three British Airways 747s; nine Qantas 747s and three RAAF 707s also had maintenance undertaken. ANA were so overwhelmed by the quality of work on their first aircraft, that the company received a special ANA award, in honour of the fact that it could not fault the 7 47’s maintenance.

Such recognition is important to ASTAAS because it attracts customers. With its growing reputation for quality, General Manager Russell Howard can now state that ASTAAS’s area of expertise is without doubt Boeing products, its market niche the 7 47. Essential for this is the CAA, US FAA and UK CAA maintenance approvals held by ASTAAS, while the recently granted Japanese CAB approval for 747 maintenance – ASTAAS is only the fifth organisation worldwide to hold this – allows the company to tap into an important new market.

However, to take full advantage of the market situation in which the ever aging (and largely Boeing 747) world widebody fleet needs to be kept flying, ASTAAS needs to expand, and plans are well advanced for this. ASTAAS falls within ASTA’s Avalon Airfield strategy, the planned 20 year development of a major regional airport and industrial park. ASTAAS itself is being expanded with two additional 747 capable hangars to be constructed – each effectively increasing ASTAAS’s maintenance capacity and the marketability of its services – and the employment of an additional 200 people over the year.

To aid this necessary expansion, a 49% stake in ASTAAS is being evaluated by British Airways, which would be an excellent choice of investor because BA would not only contribute to cash flow, but could also actively provide additional workload and marketing expertise. BritishAirways has long been a very big Boeing customer, having previously operated the 707, being a current 737, 747, 757 and 767 operator, and considered very likely to buy the 777. It is a steady customer of ASTAAS, having lodged several 747s for maintenance, and it would bring with it an international reputation for quality which can only enhance ASTAAS’s ability to attract customers to fully utilise the planned expanded facilities.

Thus ASTAAS is plying the high road to success. With its own reputation for quality work, and the spectre of ahigh profile international partner and investor that can do no harm to its future prospects, the company is poised to take full advantage of its already well recognised expertise in Boeing airliners