SR Technics (Stand A726) is moving to establish a presence on the Chinese mainland. In recent months the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Okay Airways to form a maintenance joint venture at Tianjin, concluded a joint venture agreement with the Shanghai Foreign Aviation Service Corp. (Shanghai FASCO) and established an Asia/Pacific advisory board (APAB).
Okay Airways, which was established in March 2005, is the first privately owned airline in China, and Tianjin Airport is being developed as a major passenger and cargo hub. The planned joint venture is intended to provide aircraft services, fleet technical management and component support of Boeing and Airbus aircraft for both existing airlines and developing new-paradigm carriers, as SR Technics describes airlines combining low-cost principles with the provision of a quality service to passengers.
Frank Turner, SR Technics’ chairman, said the new joint venture would be a first step for SR Technics in establishing a presence in China. Its aim would be to attract new paradigm carriers at an early stage in their development while providing an alternative solution for existing Chinese airlines, he said.
Under the agreement signed January 19 with Shanghai FASCO, the partners plan to form a new company, Shanghai SR Aircraft Technics, which will provide line maintenance, technical training, technical consulting and additional services at Shanghai International Airport starting in April. The new company will concentrate initially on line maintenance, technical training and technical consulting services in Shanghai, extending its operations subsequently to other airports in the region and expanding the range of products and services offered.
SR Technics will contribute its line maintenance and technical training expertise, as well as help the new company acquire the necessary maintenance licenses from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, European Aviation Safety Agency and General Administration of Civil Aviation in China (CAAC). CAAC-owned FASCO is an experienced provider of ground handling, cargo services and human resources management with an extensive customer base of non-Chinese airlines.
