The Asia-Pacific region is poised to be one of strongest growth engines for the foreseeable future for the maintenance, repair and overhaul industry, according to Overhaul & Maintenance magazine (available here at Aviation Week's Booth A800).

East Asia continues to be a hotspot for Western OEMs and MRO companies looking to enter or strengthen their presence in the market through joint ventures and partnerships-especially in the engine sphere. GE, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce each have added or are building new JVs in the region in the past two years-GE now has as many as eight in the area, and Pratt at least five. And U.S. and European airlines continue to ship widebody aircraft to East Asia to take advantage of low labor costs.

Not surprisingly, many of the region's leading MRO organizations are exhibiting here at Asian Aerospace. Among them:

Air France Industries Booth A412
Le Bourget-based Air France Industries performs through D checks on the Airbus A300, A310, A320 and A340; Boeing 727, 737, 747; McDonnell Douglas DC-8 and DC-10; Fokker F-27; and Concorde. Support services range from total aircraft maintenance to line station services, interior modifications and honeycomb structure repairs, technical assistance worldwide, engine repair and overhaul for GE and CFM series including a focus on the GE-powered Boeing 777.

Air New Zealand Engineering Services (ANZES) Booth A409
The maintenance arm of Air New Zealand handles third-party work from a wide variety of customers as well as for the New Zealand military. ANZES performs about 2.6 million man-hours of work per year, about 50% of which is work for third parties on 727s, 737s, 747s and 767s through D check. In addition, ANZES has joined Ansett Australia in a joint venture, ANNZES, that aims to maximize the capabilities of both airlines to pursue further third-party work.

Alitalia Engineering & Maintenance Booth B108
Alitalia can service through D checks Airbus A300s and A321s and Boeing 747s and 767s in its 14 narrowbody and nine widebody hangars. But it is products produced by the former McDonnell Douglas that form the backbone of Alitalia's service business. Since 1973, Alitalia has carried out C checks or heavier maintenance on more than 200 DC-10s. It also provides heavy maintenance on DC-9s, MD-80s and MD-11s. The airline will increasingly focus on A320 maintenance.

AMECO-Beijing Booth A208
This joint venture between Lufthansa and Air China is based at Beijing's Capital Airport. With a staff of nearly 4,000, the company does through D checks on Boeing 737s, 747s, 757s and 767s. AMECO also offers 747 Section 41 and engine strut modifications, TCAS and SATCOM installations, and other special modifications in its four-widebody-bay hangar. The facility has a fully enclosed aircraft painting hangar that can accommodate aircraft up to 747-400 size.

GAMECO Booth C430
Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co. is a joint venture of China Southern Airlines (50%), Lockheed Martin Aeronautic International (25%), and Hong Kong-based Hutchinson Whampao (China) Ltd. (25%). The company has five narrowbody and one widebody hangar in its facility at Baiyun Airport, and can perform through D checks on the Airbus A320; Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777, McDonnell Douglas MD-11; and Saab 340 turboprop.

HAECO Booth A1211
Based at Hong Kong International Airport, HAECO is the largest provider of airframe MRO services in the Asia-Pacific region. Its largest customer is Cathay Pacific Airways. HAECO is one of several joint venture partners in Taikoo Aircraft Engine Co. (TAECO). It also has a major joint venture with Rolls-Royce-Hong Kong Aero Engine Services Ltd-and is in a landing gear JV, Goodrich Asia Pacific Aerospace, Ltd.

Israel Aircraft Industries Booth A839
The Tel Aviv-based Bedek Aviation Group Aircraft Division of IAI provided 3.1 million man-hours of airframe services in 2000 on Airbus A300a, A310s and A320s, Boeing 707s, 727s, 737s, 747s, 757s, 767s and McDonnell Douglas DC-8s, DC-9s, DC-10s, MD-11s and MD-80s. It can accomplish up to D checks in its four widebody and three narrowbody hangars. In 1999, Bedek formed a joint venture marketing group with GE Aircraft Engines to provide complete one-stop maintenance services for airframes and engines.

KLM Engineering & Maintenance Booth A200B
KLM Engineering's Schiphol Airport facility specializes in 747s although it can handle through D checks on the Airbus A300 and A310, Boeing 737 and 767, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and MD-11 in its 10 narrowbody and 10 widebody bays. More than half of the Dutch flag carrier's maintenance work is on third-party aircraft. KLM's E&M division offers 747 packages ranging from total support to individual checks, nacelle strut and wing modifications, and cockpit and cabin conversions.

Lufthansa Technik Booth A421
Seeking to expand its Asian presence beyond AMECO-Beijing (in which it holds 40%), Lufthansa Technik has set up two more JVs in the region. Lufthansa Technik Philippines in Manila (LHT equity: 51%) has taken over the MRO operations of Philippine Airlines and will become the center for A330/A340 heavy maintenance through D check. Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen Co. (LHT equity: 70%) was established to service airframe-related components, wheels and brakes.

SIA Engineering Co. Pte. Ltd. Booth A921
Formerly the maintenance arm of Singapore Airlines, SIA Engineering is pushing for a wide expansion of its airframe MRO business. Its 330,000-square-foot of space in two hangars can handle up to the Boeing 777. In addition, SIAEC offers 23 back shops and an engine test cell with 150,000-pounds-thrust capacity-more than enough for any engine in service or planned. The company aims to be the first to offer heavy airframe services for the 550-seat Airbus A380.

SR Technics Booth A726
Zurich-based SR Technics does more than two-thirds of its heavy maintenance work for third parties, and has a large customer base in Asia-Pacific including Thai, Garuda, and Cathay Pacific. The company performs through D checks on the Airbus A300, A310, A319, A320, A321, A330 and A340 as well as the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, MD-11 and MD-80. Company plans include phasing out A300/A310 and DC-10 work.

ST Aviation Services Co. (SASCO) STAero Pavilion
The commercial maintenance arm of Singapore Technologies Aerospace offers airframe heavy maintenance and modification for widebody and narrow body aircraft. One specialty is the DC-10/MD-11 trijet family. The company recently won a subcontract from Boeing to convert 13 UPS MD-11s from passenger to freighter aircraft. Its 300,000-square-feet of hangar space can accommodate five widebody and two narrowbody aircraft simultaneously.