A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Strong MRO demand, increasing group synergies, and expansion into Saudi Arabia have marked the past year at AMAC Aerospace (Booth C72), the Swiss VIP aircraft services specialist told AIN on the eve of EBACE 2023. AMAC, which has&nbsp;headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, also provides MRO services in Istanbul and Bodrum, Turkey. These services are complemented by two subsidiaries—online maintenance data services firm Gamit UK&nbsp;and composites component specialist JCB Aero—along with the company's new office in Riyadh.
MRO demand has been particularly strong in Basel, with all hangar slots booked and brisk widebody activity. In the first quarter, AMAC simultaneously hosted four VIP Boeing 777s for MRO work. Demand for the repair of composite materials is high, as AMAC is among the few companies in Europe with the equipment and expertise to handle such fixes, due in part to its JCB subsidiary. In addition, the company said, the Basel location has “earned an excellent reputation for AOG support.”
AMAC also services large-cabin business jets—its purpose-built Hangar 5 can accommodate seven of them simultaneously—and robust aircraft acquisitions activity has created “intense interest” in pre-purchase inspections, with AMAC currently conducting four to five per week.<img alt data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bf924ea3-eb5b-40eb-b528-f4fb4af17650" src="/sites/default/files/349-amac_jcbaero_with-cp.gif" width="1500" height="750" loading="lazy">
Its Istanbul and Bodrum facilities are also busy, and the team in Istanbul has expanded its service capabilities to include&nbsp;the Dassault Falcon 6X, which is set to enter service in the third quarter.
AMAC’s VIP completions activity, for which it first became known, has also been strong, with two redeliveries in the first half of the year—a BBJ Max 8 and an AC320neo—and two green bizliners—a BBJ Max 8 and ACJ319neo—due for induction in the second half.
Gamit, the company’s digital maintenance records service, has introduced records online asset management, which uses advanced technologies to deliver a user-friendly document management solution. The division is in discussions with many operators and two well-known airlines interested in signing on to the service. Gamit is also expanding its materials and technical services teams to meet increased demand from the rapidly expanding customer base. AMAC was a customer before purchasing the company in December 2021.
Meanwhile, during the past year French composites specialist JCB Aero, which operates a production facility in Auch, received a contract to produce first-class cabins for an undisclosed&nbsp;“well known” airline, AMAC said. JCB, which AMAC purchased in 2016, serves clients in fixed- and rotor-wing aviation, as well as maritime sectors. Currently expanding the range of honeycomb panels it produces, JCB is also adding 3D printing and five-axis milling machines to its factory.
Looking toward the year ahead, AMAC noted that supply-chain constraints remain challenging, but as a result of diligent planning&nbsp;the company’s projects&nbsp;and profits from Gamit’s spare-parts and materials business&nbsp;are on track for the&nbsp;year.

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