Today ATR and the Brazilian airline AZUL signed a contract to renew the global maintenance of the carrier’s ATR fleet, made up of almost 60 aircraft, mostly ATR 72-600s and ATR 72-500s. This GMA (Global Maintenance Agreement) is for duration of five years, and includes the provision of a stock of spare parts at the company’s facilities, including mainly LRUs (Line Replacement Units). The agreement also included the management of the repairs of these parts and restocking them through a pool, and an availability and repair service for propeller blades and landing gear. Through this agreement, AZUL will also have access to the new warehouse that ATR is about to open in São Paulo, in partnership with Helibras.
ATR and AZUL previously signed an initial contract for global maintenance in 2010. Approximately a third of the ATR fleet worldwide is currently covered by GMAs with the manufacturer.
Cesar Okajima, Director of the AZUL Supply Chain, declared: "Given the size of our ATR fleet, it is essential that we ensure that we have quick access to a large stock of spare parts for our aircraft. Likewise, it is important for us to be able to rely on the expertise and knowledge of the manufacturer regarding the management of repairs for certain parts and equipment. The success of our operations is based on our joint capabilities to ensure efficient availability of all stock and services."
Lilian Braylé, ATR’s Senior Vice-President Product Support and Services, stated: "The contract renewal strengthens the cooperation that we have built together since the arrival of the first ATR aircraft in the airline's fleet in 2010. Thanks to new partnerships that we are currently setting up in Brazil, we will have the opportunity to offer AZUL increased services and even more responsiveness in terms of their requirements for spare parts and repair services. We are delighted to be able to contribute to AZUL's deployment and to the consolidation of its success as a benchmark airline in Brazil."
About Azul Linhas Aéreas:
Azul began operating in December 2008, connecting the city of Campinas in Porto Alegre and Salvador daily without stopovers. Today it offers routes between some of the country's major cities: Campinas, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Maringá, Navegantes, Florianópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Campo Grande, Vitória, Salvador, Recife, Maceió, Fortaleza, Natal, Manaus, Goiânia, Porto Seguro, São Paulo, Cuiabá and, starting from August, Brasília. It also offers a bus service to key points, thus bringing the number of cities served to 39. Its fleet is the youngest in Brazil, made up mainly of ATRs, and also includes the Embraer 190 and 195.
About ATR:
Founded in 1981, ATR has become the world leader on the market for regional aircraft with 90 seats or less. Since its creation, ATR has sold over 1400 aircraft. With over 24 million flight hours, ATR models equip the fleets of 180 airlines in 90 countries. ATR is an equal partnership between two major European aeronautics players, Alenia Aermacchi (a Finmeccanica Group company) and Airbus Group. Its head office is in Toulouse. ATR is ISO 14001 certified.
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