TAM MRO receives certification to maintain the ATR-72

São Paulo, March 14th, 2012 - TAM MRO, TAM S.A.'s MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) business unit, has been certified by ANAC (Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency) to provide maintenance services on ATR-72 aircraft with Brazilian registration as well as their components. The authorization allows the company to expand its offer to third parties and serve new customers. Since July 2010 the TAM MRO has been certified to maintain ATR-42 aircraft.

"In Brazil, there are operators with significant fleets of such French aircraft. Now, they can fully rely on our routine inspection services", says Luiz Gustavo Figueiredo, TAM MRO's executive director.

ANAC's new certification authorizes TAM MRO to perform several maintenance procedures on the ATR-72. Among them are the installation and removal of engines, propellers and landing gears, in addition to corrective actions. The unit was already authorized by the Brazilian agency to maintain Airbus (A318 / A319 / A320 / A321 / A330), Boeing (767), Fokker (Fokker100) and ATR (ATR-42) aircraft with Brazilian registration.

The unit is currently working to expand its services to external customers. The aim is for the MRO business to grow 20% a year on average up to 2016, increasing the revenue from services provided to third parties, that today corresponds to 18% of the total billing. The target is to increase this to over 40% of the total billings by 2016.

In 2011, TAM MRO performed 135 checks and nearly 145 thousand component repairs. The number of checks is 19.7% higher than that registered in 2010. Last year, keeping the same comparison basis, the service to third parties grew 57.1% (in the number of checks performed), and 20.4% (in the number of component repairs).

The TAM MRO, which is TAM S/A's MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) business unit, was founded in 2001 and is certified by the world's most important aeronautical authorities such as  Brazil's ANAC, Europe's EASA and the U.S. FAA. With more than 1,280 direct employees, the company is responsible for the maintenance of aircraft and aeronautical components of TAM's fleet, and for providing services on aircraft and components of customers in Brazil and abroad. In addition to services at its on line maintenance units distributed in several airports, it has its own headquarters, in São Carlos (in the countryside of São Paulo), where it can provide heavy-duty overhaul and maintenance (checks C and D) simultaneously on nine aircraft (including wide body, narrow body and regional jet planes). The unit has 23 workshops specialized in components, compound materials and landing gear, among others. Currently, it is authorized to perform maintenance on Airbus A330 aircraft and components as well as on all models from the A320, Boeing 767, Fokker 100, and ATR-42 and 72 family.