The LATAM Group has decided to open a new maintenance line in its MRO (acronym for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul), installed in São Carlos (SP). As of May 2022, this maintenance center line will begin to operate dedicated to heavy maintenance (check C) of Boeing 767 freighter aircraft.
The initiative aims at an increasingly efficient and competitive operation, making Brazil concentrate 56% of all heavy maintenance on the group's aircraft. As a result, LATAM's total maintenance costs can be reduced by up to 40% compared to services provided by third parties.
“Concentrating more than half of LATAM's heavy aircraft maintenance in Brazil is a very important step for us. The global strategy is to increase the volume of services internally, maximizing the occupancy of the Group's MROs and the investments we have made are in line with this”, points out Alexandre Peronti, Director of Maintenance at LATAM Brazil.
LATAM MRO in São Carlos (SP) plays a strategic role within the LATAM Group. Thanks to its technological capacity and the internationalization of São Carlos airport, LATAM has been able to prioritize the heavy maintenance of the Boeing 767 and Airbus A320 family in Brazil since 2019. The current production capacity at the São Carlos unit is around 10 to 12 annual checks of Boeing 767 aircraft. Now, with its second production line, that capacity should double to 20 checks per year.
Currently, the LATAM MRO in São Carlos (SP) also concentrates seven lines of heavy maintenance for aircraft of the Airbus A320 family, capable of carrying out 100% of the checks of the Brazilian fleet of this model, in addition to 66% of the fleet of the entire LATAM Group – the target is to reach 74% by 2022.
Heavy maintenance on a Boeing 767
Heavy maintenance on Boeing 767 aircraft is carried out every 18 months and can last from 25 to 35 days, varying according to the age of the aircraft and the manufacturer's guidelines. This maintenance includes:
- Tests on aircraft systems and components to identify possible failures.
- Structural inspections from the moment the plane is dismantled, to check for cracks and corrosion, damage considered natural due to the aging process of the plane.
- Repairs and correction of any problems. After the plane is assembled, several batteries of tests are carried out to identify whether the problems have been corrected.
LATAM MRO in São Carlos: reference in Latin America
Taken together, all these numbers reinforce the excellence of the services provided by LATAM MRO in São Carlos, considered a center of technology and innovation. For four years now, it has carried out more than 90% of checks on time and is a reference in aircraft maintenance in Brazil and Latin America.
The Brazilian unit is also the target of constant investments by LATAM, including new equipment, expansion of aircraft maneuvering areas and hangar modifications, in addition to the recent adoption of drones and robots to optimize one of the inspection processes of its aircraft, for example.
Via LATAM
