South Korea’s Jeju Air has placed an order with Honeywell to replace the wheels and brakes on its Boeing 737s. The terms of the contract have not been disclosed, but as part of the agreement the U.S. manufacturer also will provide spares for up to 15 of Jeju’s 737s.
“The Honeywell wheels and brakes solution will reduce Jeju Air’s operating costs and increase reliability and performance,” said Mike Madsen, vice president of airlines at Honeywell Aerospace. “Honeywell’s Cerametalix brakes have been selected by more than 100 airlines for their low operational costs, high reliability and worldwide service and support.”
Honeywell’s Cerametalix brakes and wheels average three million landings a year and are particularly suited for quick-turn applications because of their superior heat rejection capability.
Meanwhile, Honeywell also is announcing today that it has extended an agreement with Vietnam Airlines to provide auxiliary power unit (APU) repair and overhaul services for the airline’s fleet of 27 aircraft for three more years. Terms of that contract also were undisclosed.
The deal covers the 36-300, 331-350, 36-150RR and 331-500 model APUs on two Fokker 70s, 10 Airbus A320s, five Airbus A330s and 10 Boeing 777s.
Honeywell also noted that several of its operations in Singapore are near or have surpassed 25 years of operation in this country. The Phoenix, Arizona-based aerospace giant said its heritage and presence here includes the Chee Chai site where more than 6,000 flight data recorders and 5,000 enhanced ground proximity warning system units have been delivered over the past two years. Overall, it has delivered in excess of 120,000 avionics modules since 1985 and last year shipped more than 30,000 units.
The company said its Loyang facility is nearing 25 years of operation and is considered one of the major Asia-Pacific MRO sites for avionics and other products serving more than 100 customers in the region with an annual output of nearly 6,000 units.
The Gul Circle MRO facility has serviced more than 8,000 APU/engines since it opened in 1978 and is Honeywell’s largest MRO site in Asia. The Joo Koon site also opened that year, and last year shipped more than 230,000 units, including fuel housing, valves and landing systems. At 57,000 sq ft, it is Honeywell’s largest facility in this part of the world.
The company also operates three repair and overhaul facilities in China, as well as one in Malaysia and another in Indonesia. It also has a repair shop for wheels and brakes at Subic Bay in the Philippines.
Madsen told AIN that the MRO sector in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow by around 10 percent this year–about two or three times the rate seen in the U.S. and Europe. Specifically in China, Honeywell expects to have to further increase its product support capacity to meet even higher growth in demand driven by the large number of airliner deliveries to carriers there.
In response to airlines’ needs to control operating costs and improve profitability, Honeywell offers its Integrated Service and Support packages priced on a per-flight-hour and asset availability basis. “We are seeing higher demand for asset management programs such as the new contract covering the avionics suite of Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 777 fleet,” said Madsen. “This means that airlines can rearrange their route structure without having to purchase assets.”
