Ameco Beijing will overhaul United Airlines’ Boeing 747s, as well as the carrier’s 777s, for which it already does heavy maintenance. The 777 work, under a five-year contract signed in 2005, will be extended for a further five years. Heavy maintenance on the 747s will also last for five years.
The Chinese maintenance operator, owned by Air China and Lufthansa Technik, says it has also won a contract to provide C-check services for Aeroflot’s four 767-300ERs. Ameco has expanded massively in the past few years — but unfortunately brought its new hangars into service last year amid the global recession. Although Chinese commercial aviation began recovering long before airlines elsewhere, the Aeroflot and additional United work will help Ameco with the challenge of filling its new capacity. One of the new hangars is a painting and overhaul facility sized for 747s. Another, for the moment used only for line maintenance, can accept Airbus A380s.
