AIX: AMAC debuts at AIX as it looks to build commercial MRO
Swiss business aircraft completions house AMAC Aerospace is making its AIX debut as it looks to diversify into the commercial maintenance and cabin refurbishment market.
The privately owned, Basel-based company opened a 4,600m2 (4,950ft2) hangar in Bodrum on the Turkish Aegean coast late last year – its fourth location and seventh aircraft facility – and in February sealed a contract with Tailwind Airlines for its fleet of Boeing 737-400 aircraft, which includes a full cabin refit.
It followed the acquisition in May 2016 of JCB Aero, another family-owned VIP fixed-wing and rotorcraft interiors specialist, which gave AMAC its fifth and sixth hangars to add to its four in the Swiss city.
AMAC also has a distribution and service centre for Pilatus in Istanbul. It has the contract to sell and service the Swiss airframer’s PC-12 turboprop and PC-24 light jet in the Middle East.
Waleed Muhiddin, vice-president of strategic operations and business development, says that while the Basel facility will continue to focus on high-end business aircraft cabins, Bodrum will switch between airline MRO in the winter and business aircraft MRO in the busier summer months for commercial aviation.
While business aviation remains AMAC’s core business – it has completed 20 completion projects since it was set up in 2008 – commercial MRO will become an increasingly important secondary revenue stream, and help balance the businesses exposure to the volatile VIP market, says Muhiddin. “If you don’t diversify, you leave yourself susceptible to risk of a downturn.”
Muhiddin is impressed with the response the company has had at AIX. “We are planning to come back here and will expand our stand next time,” he says.
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