Air Pacific, AFI KLM E&M Sign Long-Term Maintenance and A330 Component Support Agreement
Paris, Amstelveen, Nadi, 12 February 2013 - Air Pacific, Fiji's national airline has contracted Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance ("AFI KLM E&M") to provide support for its incoming A330-200 fleet. The agreement includes technical fleet management services, component repair, and availability via dedicated logistics support, access to AFI KLM E&M's dedicated regional A330 spares pool, and the supply of an A330 Main Base Kit on Air Pacific premises.
A major Asia-Pacific MRO
AFI KLM E&M is a leader in A330/340 maintenance, and the company operates a vast network and many logistic centers around the world. With its highly-skilled engineers and mechanics, AFI KLM E&M services over 200 aircraft from 23 airlines, including its parent airlines AIR FRANCE and KLM, as well as Virgin Atlantic, Qantas, South African Airlines, and Aerolineas Argentinas.
In announcing the partnership with AFI KLM E&M, Dave Pflieger, Air Pacific's Managing Director & CEO said, "Our team here in Fiji is delighted to be working with AFI KLM E&M to induct and maintain our new A330 fleet. AFI KLM E&M has an incredible reputation for maintenance and engineering, safety, reliability, adaptive maintenance solutions, and expertise throughout the region. In addition, they have also agreed to use their expertise in A330 aircraft to train our local engineers to perform A330 maintenance and eventually in-source some of this work over the longer term. Air Pacific will continue to do our own line maintenance and "A" checks at our Nadi, Fiji facility, while AFI KLM E&M's will provide us with engineering and fleet technical assistance as well as a local inventory of spare parts that will significantly enhance the operational availability of our components and aircraft. That, in turn, will mean greater fleet reliability for our customers."
"AFI KLM E&M is a great complement to our other world-class partners, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Panasonic and others, and they will have an essential role to play as we induct our new fleet of A330s and complete our transformation from Air Pacific to Fiji Airways this year."
Franck Terner, Air France Industries President, said: "We are truly looking forward to having Air Pacific join our maintenance family and helping the airline complete its exciting and successful turnaround. AFI KLM E&M continues its expansion in the Asia-Pacific region by attracting new clients, and will strive to prove itself worthy of Air Pacific's trust."
About Air Pacific
Founded in 1951, Air Pacific is the national airline of Fiji. It aims to become the airline of choice of the South Pacific, and the purchase and introduction of three new re-branded "Fiji Airways" Airbus A330-200s to replace its fleet of Boeing B747-400s and B767s will be the capstone of the airline's success and turnaround from record losses just 3 years ago. From its hub at Nadi International Airport, Air Pacific and its subsidiary Pacific Sun fly to 15 cities in 10 countries. Destinations include Australia, New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands. Air Pacific aircraft bring in over 64 percent of all visitors who fly to Fiji, and the two companies together employ over 900 employees, earn revenues of over F$675 million ($380m USD), and directly contribute a significant portion of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Air Pacific will soon be ‘Fiji Airways'. Visit www.fijiairways.com for more information.
About AFI KLM E&M
Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance, which joined forces following the AIR FRANCE KLM merger, are world-leading multi-product MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) providers with a joint workforce of over 14,000, offering comprehensive technical support for airlines, ranging from engineering and line maintenance to engine overhaul, as well as the management, repair and supply of aircraft components, structured around a powerful logistics network. AFI KLM E&M supports more than 1,300 aircraft operated by 150 major international airlines.
