How’s Magnetic MRO Line Maintenance is coping with the current situation caused by a virus outbreak? What services are now in the demand? Kaspars Podins, Head of Line Maintenance Unit, shares his insights at #3QuestionsWith feature.
How’s line maintenance copping with current virus outbreak and what services your department has established in order to help out airlines affected by the current grounding and lockdowns?
For Line maintenance team it’s complete turn-around compared to our usual drill: 24/7 – 365 nonstop. Adapting to ‘normal work hours’ is a change, but the team is strong, flexible thus they adapted rapidly. Honestly, our Line maintenance team has gone through fire in past years so this will be an additional challenge – but I am sure this will make team only stronger.
Although current day to day services are limited due to government restrictions all over the EU and around the world, that doesn’t stop us from providing lean A-check services, Parking and Storage services in main-hub and other stations. Also, teardown is at our competence and we have quite a few requests for such services for clients. It’s all about flexibility and ability to adapt – especially now, but also in general, so our team at Line maintenance what customer requests with given TAT and price range.
In the light of the current situation, let’s look at the positives: what achievements of the first few months of 2020 of your department and your team you’re proud of?
In Q1 Line Unit is proud of having completed FINNAIR CABIN MOD program. Total 12 ATR’s have been completed which is another milestone towards ATR full base maintenance capability. Additionally, I’d mention ATR 72 to GECAS - P145 support at customer selected paint-shop and finally delivery at Magnetic MRO HQ.
What services, in your opinion, will have increased importance after the most of the lockdowns will be removed?
In short, Line Maintenance for sure! Indeed, there still will be a demand to keep up parking and storage for main customers/lessors. We will face different challenges of ensuring prompt and rapid services, as well as we will have to adapt to new rules which might be implemented by airport or customers in order to continue maintaining aircraft while on the ground during service stop, night-stop or scheduled maintenance.
Eventually, assets will be brought back to service to carry passengers/customers once restrictions are lifted. In order to keep them serviceable and up to date our Line maintenance team will continue working in Tallinn, Copenhagen, Warsaw, Riga, Saarbrucken or any other new station, making sure our clients can have efficient and high-quality services and be ready for the new take-offs as soon as possible.
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