Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) is to set up a new $64 million engine test cell facility at Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport. The very big engine maintenance offering will be operational in 2012 and complements the company’s recent investments in the Constellation building at Paris Orly Airport, and an electron-beam welding machine at Amsterdam Schipol Airport in Holland. The first production test cells are set to arrive in Roissy in June 2012.

“AFI KLM E&M’s substantial investment in VBEs, with the new Constellation engine shop and now this new engine test cell, puts us in an excellent position to provide a strong alternative to OEM’s services,” said senior v-p engines Anne Brachet. “This ETC will have capability for engine run-ups on the Engine Alliance GP7200 [installed on the Airbus A380], GE90-94 [Boeing 777] and GE90-115 [Boeing 777] families of powerplants. It will allow us to shorten turnaround times.”

EPCOR, an AFI KLM E&M subsidiary, has signed a contract covering auxiliary power unit (APU) component maintenance with Transavia, for Dutch low-cost carrier’s Boeing 737 fleet. Transavia is also part of the Air France KLM Group. EPCOR is approved to perform maintenance and overhaul of Honeywell and Hamilton Sundstrand APUs.