Australian carriers have a new offshore option to send aircraft for their regular maintenance checks after Etihad Airways Engineering received certification from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
The engineering arm of the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has been granted CASR Part 145 Maintenance Organisation approval, the company said on Tuesday.
“This recognition means Etihad Airways Engineering is able to provide base maintenance services for the latest Airbus and Boeing aircraft – the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner – as well as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 and A320 families of aircraft,” Etihad said.
In Australia, Qantas conducts heavy maintenance for its fleet of Airbus A330-200/300s in-house at the company’s Brisbane maintenance facility.
Meanwhile, its Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-400/400ERs, as well as Virgin Australia’s Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A330-200s, have their heavy maintenance checks completed at overseas workshops.
Heavy maintenance of Tigerair Australia and Jetstar’s A320 fleets were also conducted overseas.
Etihad Airways Engineering chief executive Jeff Wilkinson said he was pleased to have received CASA approval.
“We have been expanding our global customer base in line with our growing capabilities, particularly on new platforms like the A380 and the Boeing 787,” Wilkinson said in a statement.
“We are proud to have achieved compliance with CASA’s stringent regulatory standards and look forward to bring our industry leading aircraft maintenance and engineering solutions to aircraft operators in Australia.”
