Farnborough, July 15, 2008 – Royal Air Maroc, the national flag carrier of Morocco, based at the Casablanca international aircraft, announced today that it has signed an engineering support contract with Snecma Services (SAFRAN Group), a leading CFM56 OEM shop. This latest agreement further consolidates the partnership between the Royal Air Maroc and Snecma Services. The two companies are already partners in the jointly owned Snecma Morocco Engine Services (SMES), an MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) shop for CFM56-3 and -7B engines.
As a leader in CFM56 MRO, Snecma Services also offers customers an array of complementary services. The company’s ELOS (Engine Line Operation Support) brand encompasses all of these services, including engineering support, the continuous, remote monitoring of customers’ engines.
Based on these in-flight readings, processed by a system developed by CFM International, the experts from Snecma Services establish a real-time diagnostic of each engine. They are able to detect early indications of non-nominal performance parameters, and inform the customer by email or phone within a few minutes. At the same time, the Customer Support Center, operating 24x7, analyzes this data and recommends the best solutions.
“This contract reflects our commitment to strengthening our partnership with Snecma Services and applying OEM solutions,” said Mohamed Ballatig, Vice President for Engineering and Maintenance at Royal Air Maroc. “By assigning our engineering support to Snecma Services for five years, we can concentrate on our core business, decrease unplanned servicing and reduce our operating costs.”
According to Snecma Services Chairman and CEO Denis Vercherin, “We offer our customers two levels of remote monitoring for the CFM56: standard diagnostics, available free of charge to all CFM56 operators, and extended diagnostics, which includes the recording and analysis of additional data by our experts. Choosing this extended agreement, Royal Air Maroc will receive optimized recommendations for line maintenance and targeted workscopes during engine removals for servicing.”
Royal Air Maroc is the leading airline in Morocco, with a fleet of 44 aircraft carrying nearly six million passengers per year. With over 1,200 flights a week, it flies to 67 destinations in 35 countries. Royal Air Maroc’s hub in Casablanca, comprising three terminals that welcome more than 12 million passengers annually, is the largest airport hub in Western Africa. Through this hub, Royal Air Maroc provides connections between Africa and Europe, the Middle East and North America.
Snecma Services (SAFRAN Group) provides a full range of aero-engine support services to operators worldwide (airlines, armed forces, lessors, VIP transport, etc.) including: engine MRO, parts repair, engineering support (fleet management, remote diagnostics), LRU support, engine maintenance on site (EMOS), technical assistance, tools, technical documentation, test cell calibration, engine leasing, flight test support, customer support, mechanics training and more. Snecma Services operates three sites in France (Montereau, Saint-Quentin and Châtellerault) and has a Belgian subsidiary, Snecma Services Brussels. The company has also created a number of joint ventures with major airlines and manufacturers. Visit Snecma Services online at www.snecma-services.com.
