AFI KLM E&M travelled home from Dubai Airshow 2017 with around $1bn in new business. The MRO provider, jointly owned by Air France and KLM, kicked off the show with a contract to provide maintenance and overhaul for the GE90-115B engines powering the Kuwait Airways fleet of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs. The support by the hour contract covers engine removal management, shop visits and logistics/AOG support.

AFI KLM E&M has extensive expertise on GE90 family powerplants, from the operational support provided for its parent airlines (launch airlines for the 777-300ER in particular), to services provided for dozens of third-party airlines operating versions of the GE90 worldwide.

A second contract covered maintenance of the APS5000 auxiliary power units (APU) equipping the 10 new Boeing 787-9s to be delivered to Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain's national carrier. The long-term contract includes a guarantee covering APU replacement. The repair services will be provided by AFI KLM E&M subsidiary EPCOR, global market leader for MRO support for APUs.

Gulf Air and AFI KLM E&M first worked together on repair of Gulf Air's CFM56 engines, and the airline currently uses AFI KLM E&M services for component support on its existing fleet of A320s and A330s, and those of its Dubai-based AMES subsidiary for nacelle and radome repairs. EPCOR, for its part, has provided APU support for the Bahraini carrier's Airbus A330s for a number of years.

In another deal, Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI) signed an agreement with AFI KLM E&M for full component support for a fleet of Boeing 787-9s operated by SAEI's sister company, Saudi Airlines ultimately comprising 21 aircraft. AFI KLM E&M will provide component maintenance and repair services, along with the related logistics, as well as access to its spares pools in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Finally, low cost carrier Air Arabia announced a long-term, full engine support contract for its growing Airbus A320 fleet.

The new contract covers the full array of Air Arabia's fleet requirements, from shop visits to worldwide on-wing support. Real-time engine monitoring will also be on offer via the Prognos predictive maintenance solution developed by AFI KLM E&M at its innovation platform, The MRO Lab.

This agreement strengthens the carrier's existing partnership as AFI KLM E&M provides airframe support to Air Arabia via its specialized Moroccan joint venture, Aerotechnic Industries (ATI).