Business Week: Danger In The Repair Shop

[eolesen]

Full article at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/conte...31/b4044056.htm

JULY 30, 2007
GLOBAL BUSINESS

Danger In The Repair Shop
FAA inspectors are warning about the risks of outsourcing maintenance


The global economy has given consumers a lot to worry about these days: lead-laced toy trains, tainted toothpaste and pet food, and counterfeit drugs. Now add this to your list of fears: commercial jetliners that are routinely repaired in maintenance shops around the world that the Federal Aviation Administration has neither the funds nor the staff to oversee properly.

No one seems more worried than some of the FAA'S 3,000 inspectors themselves. They are sounding the alarm that foreign maintenance shops receive inadequate oversight and have become a risk for shoddy work and counterfeit parts.

The article states that "Every major U.S. carrier, in fact, has outsourced repair work beyond U.S. borders."

Aside from line work, what repair work has AMR outsourced outside the US? Component overhaul?

 

[aapitbull]

Full article at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/conte...31/b4044056.htm
The article states that "Every major U.S. carrier, in fact, has outsourced repair work beyond U.S. borders."

Aside from line work, what repair work has AMR outsourced outside the US? Component overhaul?

The engine on the A300 is outsourced to several different places over seas as already noted we do A,B and assorted check cards in South America Europe Japan. Generators or rewound in Ireland the 757 landing gear is outsourced to Hawker Pacific don’t know where the overhaul is actually done the list is quite long. I am sure Informer can add to this list.

 

[Bob Owens]

The engine on the A300 is outsourced to several different places over seas as already noted we do A,B and assorted check cards in South America Europe Japan. Generators or rewound in Ireland the 757 landing gear is outsourced to Hawker Pacific don’t know where the overhaul is actually done the list is quite long. I am sure Informer can add to this list.

FM conviently forgets the fact that AMR was the leading "outsourcer" for years, spending more on outsourced maintenance than several other majors combined.

 

[eolesen]

Having company mechanics based outside the US working on company aircraft outside the US isn't outsourcing.

One of these days, Bob, you'll back up the "fact" that AMR was the leading outsourcer. On a per-aircraft basis, I still find that difficult to believe, since CO was outsourcing all of their overhaul long before anyone else considered it.

 

[ch53D]

Having company mechanics based outside the US working on company aircraft outside the US isn't outsourcing.

One of these days, Bob, you'll back up the "fact" that AMR was the leading outsourcer. On a per-aircraft basis, I still find that difficult to believe, since CO was outsourcing all of their overhaul long before anyone else considered it.

Eric. Just about all components except the MD-80 go out the door for overhaul. Once the MD-80 is gone all the components will be out the door. Didn’t we just go through a rash of I believe turbine blades on the MD-80 coming a part in the last year, which were overhauled overseas, I believe it was Singapore.

AA/TWU cooks the books on power by the hour agreements and says power by the hour isn’t outsourcing.

 

[Wretched Wrench]

Didn’t we just go through a rash of I believe turbine blades on the MD-80 coming a part in the last year, which were overhauled overseas, I believe it was Singapore.

Do we still have blade and tire/wheel worked farmed out to Mexico?

 

[AMFAMAN]

AA/TWU cooks the books on power by the hour agreements and says power by the hour isn’t outsourcing.

Aren't MD80 APU's going to Mexico? I remember the twu complaining about this a few years back with the contractor in Arizona sending the repair work south of the border.