Corsair inaugurates its new maintenance hangar at Paris/Orly |
| Emilie Drab |
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18 OCT 2017 | 823 words
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© Le Journal de l'Aviation - All rights reserved |
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Corsair's maintenance operations are about to get much more effective. On 29th September, the French airline signed a contract with ADP Group to lease maintenance hangar No. 7 at Paris/Orly. Each party was represented by its CEO, Pascal de Izaguirre and Augustin de Romanet. This signature means that Corsair is expanding its facilities and so its maintenance capacities at the airport.
Starting from a smaller building which needed to be renovated as well as expanded, Corsair took advantage of the expiry and non-renewal of the Air France Industries leases (which was decided on in the context of the Perform programme to save on fixed costs) to change facilities. For its part, ADP has invested several hundred thousand Euro to renovate the hanger which was handed back in December 2016 (floor coverage and roofing in particular) and make it available to the airline.
 Pascal de Izaguirre, CEO of Corsair, and Augustin de Romanet, CEO of ADP Group, celebrate the French airline's installation in its new hangar - built in the 1970s © Le Journal de l'Aviation - all rights reserved
The airline now has two 7 000 m² bays, each able to accommodate a Boeing 747, and 500 m² of office space. One of the bays is intended to be used permanently, with the second kept available and subject to variable rent. For now. Because both the ADP Group and Corsair want to see the airline "increase its influence in the maintenance sector and use both bays permanently", explains Gilles Hodouin, property manager at Orly.
In addition to servicing Corsair's fleet, the second bay will enable the airline to provide its services to third parties, as Pascal de Izaguirre explains: "Thanks to these facilities, we will be able to let other airlines take advantage of this expertise, either to lease bays, carry out technical interventions or lend equipment. We have already received a lot of requests. "
At the start of October, one Air France A320 will be accommodated for the cabin modifications to be made before the launch of Joon, emphasises Jean-Luc Moine, Corsair's technical director. "We rent property and services. Air France Industries will need electricity converters, lifting platforms and access resources, so we'll be providing these services". At the same time, Air Caraïbes and Frenchblue will become indirect customers: the Dubreuil group airlines have entrusted the maintenance of their planes to AFI KLM E1&M, which will call on Corsair's services to honour its contract.
© © Le Journal de l'Aviation - all rights reserved
A vital increase in flexibility
The change in facilities should not only enable the airline to win external contracts, it is also intended to provide more control and flexibility when servicing Corsair's fleet.
"Before, we were in the same type of hangar as this one, hangar No. 2, where we could bring in an A330. But its tail had to stay outside. We've now gained the capacity to jack up the plane, to put it on tripods, but we can also expand our scope to handle 747s and A330s in-house for repairs", explains Jean-Luc Moine, who adds that a drift or seal problem can now be managed "live", at a point which suits the airline and which means that it is no longer dependent on their colleagues at the platform and that they no longer need to fit in with their availability to carry out certain tasks or rely on good weather. The airline can manage its own programme according to its operational requirements and levels of urgency. "Having this hangar gives us peace of mind when it comes to aircraft repair. »
Corsair carries out its "almost all types of line repair" itself, as well as A-Checks on the A330 fleet. "In 2012, we structured ourselves to carry out all A-Checks (every two months) in-house. Until then, we had to find a service provider who could come and do them in our premises, but there are fewer and fewer of them at Orly - either we had to send the plane to CDG, which meant taking it out of service at Orly, make a POGO flight, monitor the inspection then fly back CDG - Orly. The transfer cost almost as much as the servicing. "
Finally, Jean-Luc Moine emphasises that Corsair is one of the last French airlines to have an integrated technical department. Pascal de Izaguirre concludes on this point: Corsair's technical department is made up of 150 members of staff, mechanics, technicians, logistics specialists and engineering specialists who work at the Orly platform every day. "
During the inauguration, an A330 took up the second bay at the hangar © Le Journal de l'Aviation - all rights reserved |
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Emilie Drab
Assistant editor
Civil aerospace, Air transport
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