Aeroflot Air Technical Center (ATC) is getting ready for passing to independent C-check of A320 planes made by Airbus; this provides Aeroflot with annual economy of several million dollars and increases air fleet turnover due to time reduction of maintenance work. Study of this new type of airliners will contributes to further development of Aeroflot ATC as the largest center in CIS on servicing Russian and foreign airplanes and equipment.

Now Aeroflot ATC has certificates and services such foreign planes as A310 and Boeing 737. Getting ready for the work with A320 airliners Aeroflot reorganized significantly its engineering department and ATC, retrained dozens of engineers and air technicians on the base of Lufthansa Technik, and reequipped some departments and hangars.

Besides, since August 1, 2004, PART 145 Permanent Certificate on servicing foreign airplanes and equipment came into force; Aeroflot got this certificate after complex technical audit of EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) this June. Passing to completely independent servicing of A320 airliners is to be arranged at the end of this September after the inspection of French air authorities.

Within the air fleet restructuring Aeroflot will have 18 A320 planes by the end of 2004. Today Aeroflot has a contract with Lufthansa Technik for complete technical supply with A320 components, the contract they are going to retain. The average price of C-check provided twice a year amounts to more than 250 000 dollars per a plane.

Aeroflot ATC is the largest specialized center in CIS; it has certificates on servicing Russian and foreign airplanes and equipment including heavy forms. Aeroflot ATC offers services on foreign equipment maintenance work for other companies and plans to extend this direction taking into account production capacity development. Negotiations with a number of Russian companies on servicing Boeing 737 and A310 are under way now.

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