Aeromexico and Delta to Build Joint Maintenance Base in Mexico
Aeromexico Boeing 737
Grupo Aeroméxico and Delta Air Lines plan to begin construction of a jointly operated aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center at the Intercontinental Airport in Querétaro, next to that State’s Aerospace Park.
As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and continuation of their commercial alliance, the carriers will invest equal amounts in the project to move work currently being done at the Guadalajara International Airport and expand MRO capabilities for their own aircraft and other carriers. The new facility’s heavy maintenance capacity will allow for up to seven aircraft to be serviced simultaneously.
Delta President Ed Bastian said, “With the site selection, the joint efforts now move to begin constructing this facility that will usher in lower maintenance costs without compromising the very high quality work that Aeroméxico provides Delta.”
While Andres Conesa, CEO of Grupo Aeroméxico noted that “This investment is a clear recognition of world class quality and service Mexico offers through its skilled manpower and particularly our company, as it will consolidate and complement the heavy maintenance and overhaul services both carriers have offered at the Grupo Aeroméxico maintenance base in Guadalajara over the last six years.”
This project represents one of the most important investments in aviation infrastructure in Mexico in history and proves that the joint efforts between the private and public sectors benefit the country’s economic growth. Delta Air Lines acquired a 4.17 percent stake in Grupo Aeroméxico in June of this year.
About Grupo Aeroméxico
Grupo Aeroméxico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Its fleet includes Boeing 777, 767 and 737 aircraft and the latest Embraer 145, 170 and 190 models. The airline announced a major expansion plan in 2011, to acquire 20 new aircraft in the next 24 months. In 2012, the Group announced that it signed a letter of intent to buy Boeing 100 aircraft, including 90 Boeing 737 Max jet airliners and ten Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, becoming the largest investment plan in the history of aviation in Mexico.
Delta Airlines
Image: Flickr [bribri]
Category: Airnation
This is probably not the worst place to have an airliner maintained. I bet the workers at Aeromexico will love getting their hands back on an MD80 also- they’ve had plenty in their day!
Good for Delta. It sounds like they’re making a lot of attempts to stay competitive yet relatively safe.
Hate to sound cynical, but Delta would not be so enthusiastic to build this maintenance base in Mexico if labor wasn’t cheaper than stateside. Not saying its quality be damned in Mexico, just saying lets be realistic; price drove this decision all the way, and Delta will spin the PR any way they have to justify it.
Phil you’re exactly right- money is without a doubt the driving factor in this decision. But considering all the options, i think the decision to build their own maintenance facility is better than outsourcing maintenance to foreign companies like some other US airlines. I’m hoping that Delta and Aeromexico will develop this program with better regulations and higher standards than other foreign facilities. I love creative ideas, and Delta seems to be coming up with a lot of them this past year!
I am on record for being against foreign maintenance bases that are inferior to their US and European counterparts!
http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/143511#.UENelSIZ9lI
Since 9/11, to save money airline CEO has out sourced over 70% of their maintenance to these foreign facilities and 140,000 aerospace jobs have been lost, and climbing!
If we put aside inferior maintenance and look at the potential of terrorism against the US fleet, it does not take long to see that a 9/11 attack could be in the making”
Again I am on records on this subject.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/whos-fixing-that-airplane-while-youre-getting-groped/article/144379#.UENgiCIZ9lI
So we can save money and kill people and the political problems in a Mexico are just the tip of the ice-burg!
Richard Wyeroski, former FAA Safety Inspector
FAA WHISTLEBLOWERS ALLIANCE
Is Delta Air Lines a U.S. company? They’re taking advantage of cheap labor and most likely a sweetheart tax structure. When a U.S. corporation announces this type of investment INSIDE the U.S, THAT will be news. This is more corporate loyalty to itself and the hell with U.S. jobs.
Where’s the U.S. Department of Transportation? Where’s Congress? Where’s the White House? Is there no one there smart enough to stand up and make a deal possible for Delta to keep maintenance jobs in the U.S? Until this corporate practice of diverting jobs outside of our borders is broken, our economic decline will continue.
It would appear that our Government has no objection to exposing us to the unaccountable, inherent safety and security risks of foreign repair stations that could be avoided. The FAA and industry today talk about “Risk Analysis” by monitoring statistics. Of course, the problem with that approach is you have to first BECOME a statistic.