Boeing to acquire KLX

Boeing is acquiring global aerospace parts distributor KLX Inc. for $4.25 billion. The acquisition includes KLX’s Aerospace Solutions Group and is conditional upon divestment and separation of KLX’s Energy Services Group. The sale is expected to close by Q3 2018.

KLX will be part of Boeing Global Services and fully integrated with Aviall. KLX is also a supplier of chemical composites, broadening the scope of Aviall offerings.With approximately 2,000 employees, KLX’s Aerospace Solutions Group is headquartered in Miami, Florida, with customer service centers located in more than 15 countries. The company distributes products for approximately 2,400 manufacturers and offers approximately 1 million catalog items. www.boeing.com; www.klx.com

Bombardier expands mobile response

In the second half of 2018, Bombardier will add a dedicated Challenger 300 aircraft to its worldwide Mobile Response Team. Building on the success of the North American Mobile Response Team Learjet 45 aircraft, the Challenger 300 will be based in Frankfurt, Germany, near Bombardier’s main European parts distribution hub.

The support aircraft will shuttle parts and technicians to resolve aircraft-on-ground situations for Bombardier Learjet, Challenger, and Global aircraft and provide additional support during unscheduled maintenance events.

The Challenger 300 is to join the Mobile Response Team ahead of Bombardier’s Global 7500 aircraft entry-into-service.

Bombardier has added six new line-maintenance stations in Europe and established Maintenance Control Centers in Wichita, Kansas, and Linz, Austria. www.bombardier.com

IMP Aerospace awarded P-3 Orion contract

The Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization (NDLO) awarded IMP Aerospace a contract for maintenance of P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF). The multi-year contract includes in-service support (ISS) work beyond maintenance inspections and will be performed at IMP’s operations in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. www.impgroup.com

Thomas Global unveils flight deck upgrades

Boeing 757, 767, and 737 operators can upgrade flight decks with Thomas Global’s TFD-7076 and TFD-7066 LCD displays, plug-and-play replacements for Rockwell Collins EDU-776C/D and EDU-766C/D cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. The TFD-7000 Series displays offer increased reliability and reduced maintenance costs, and avoid CRT obsolescence issues. They will certify at the end of 2018, with production orders accepted for Q1 2019 deliveries. www.thomas-global.com

Airbus grows Skywise contracts

Allegiant Air, WOW air, and Small Planet Airlines have signed up for Airbus Skywise predictive maintenance services. Twelve airlines are now connected to the platform, five via the shared value agreement, Skywise Core, and seven via the premium Skywise Predictive Services. Including a recent deal with easyJet, 2,000 aircraft will be connected to Skywise.www.airbus.com

Satair boosts operations

Satair’s UK operation has completed a multi-million-dollar investment, opening a facility close to London’s Heathrow Airport.

The facility at Space Waye, North Feltham Trading Estate, opened in March, and has 6x the area and 11x the cubic capacity of the Heston, Middlesex, facility Satair occupied for nearly 30 years.

Part of the Operations Repair Group within Satair, the staff plans to stock a range of parts and offer electrically-based product repairs for Airbus proprietary parts.

In addition to the 14 staff previously employed at Heston, an additional five employees have been recruited for warehousing and repair operations, and the business has started a battery technician apprenticeship.

Satair services 7,500 aircraft batteries a year, making it one of the world’s largest commercial aircraft battery servicing operations. www.satair.com

FEAM to provide ANA technical consulting services

All Nippon Airways (ANA) will receive FEAM Maintenance/Engineering consulting via its Technical Services brand throughout the Americas. The agreement calls for FEAM to provide forward surveillance of potential technical ground handling agents throughout North and South America in support of the Japanese air carrier’s current and future route plans. FEAM will identify aircraft maintenance providers and ground handling agents in support of ANA’s needs. www.ana.co.jp; www.feam.aero

IBA: engine lease market can’t meet demand

Aviation consultancy IBA predicts from 2019 to 2024 the engine lease market will not be able to support the 25% to 35% increase in shop visit rates forecast for CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines and continuing strong demand for International Aero Engines’ V2500s. Unless more spare engines are generated by retirements and aircraft teardowns, or airline spares absorb some of the demand, IBA expects engine inductions and longer turnaround times will create a logjam, further intensified by compound shop visits.

With so many engines performing well, shop visits have been delayed during the past few years, but now demand is out-stripping supply. According to IBA, engine shops worldwide are edging toward full capacity, allowing little room for flexibility to cope with the unexpected, such as new airworthiness directives. www.iba.aero

AstroNova receives data printer STC

Data visualization technologies and networking hardware provider AstroNova Inc. received a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supplemental type certificate (STC) for the retrofit installation of its ToughWriter 5 ARINC 744A flight deck data printer.

The STC approval allows retrofits of existing flight deck printers in the Boeing 737-600, 737-700, 737-700C, 737-800, 737-900, and 737-900ER aircraft.

Less than 9 lb and 7.3" deep, the ToughWriter 5 offers efficient design without reducing capability. www.astronovainc.com

Avionica, GE Aviation expand digital partnership

GE Aviation and Miami, Florida-based data collection company Avionica have formed a joint venture (JV) that allows the companies to improve the flow of aircraft flight data at speeds and scale supported by industrial Internet technologies.

The JV combines Avionica’s suite of flight data management solutions, which includes Wi-Fi, cellular, and satellite connectivity, with GE Aviation’s analytics expertise and digital products in flight analytics, aircraft health management, and flight operations. The combined solutions are available with existing certifications for more than 300 models of aircraft including Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer, HondaJet, Cessna, and Thrush.

Avionica’s wireless data collection system is 99.5% smaller than comparable wireless quick access recorders (QAR) and weighs 97% less. More than 8,000 QARs have been delivered worldwide. The company’s satellite and cellular wireless technologies can transfer flight data sets with global coverage.

Through the JV, Avionica products will be supported by GE’s worldwide service network and diagnostics expertise.www.avionica.com; www.geaviation.com/digital