• Understanding aircraft maintenance, repair, and operations

Many of us are not privy to the inner workings of an airline, especially when it comes to aircraft maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO). This makes an opportunity to visit an engineering department and speak with those who ensure these large vehicles are safe for air travel one that cannot be passed on.

The Daily Morning Brunch recently had such an opportunity, and a visit to SriLankan Engineering allowed us to learn more about what goes into maintaining and repairing aircraft.

Explaining what the department does was SriLankan Airlines Engineering Department Aircraft Maintenance Manager Samantha De Mel, who explained that it is once an aircraft leaves the approved designer and producer or manufacturer that aircraft maintenance comes into the picture, ensuring the continuity of the vehicle.

Safety assured

De Mel described the airline industry as extremely competitive, but also one of the world’s safest industries, which is ensured through regulations. “It is the most regulated industry, and there are no other industries regulated to these standards.”

Like any other aircraft MRO, SriLankan Engineering is required to maintain aircraft adhering to approved procedures and employing qualified staff. “This is to ensure the continuous airworthiness of aircraft.”

These regulations go beyond manuals and training. De Mel shared that even the number of hours an individual can work per day, week, and even month is regulated.

De Mel went on to explain: “If you look at our engineering and safety policy, we say that the SriLankan Engineering and Maintenance Division is committed to the highest standards of safety, quality, and regulatory compliance in order to deliver a service par excellence that would continually delight customers. The most important things in this industry are safety and regulations.”

These regulations are put in place by the airline, as well as national aviation safety authorities, like the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

“We provide services for other airlines as well and currently have around 25 airlines that we provide services for. We are targeting 36 airlines. Their national authorities also audit us, so it comes to about 20 national authorities,” he said, explaining that there are constant audits to maintain safety.

De Mel added that the aircraft that leaves the production line is given a certain safety level or airworthiness standard. “We need to ensure the same standard that was delivered to us is maintained throughout the life of the aircraft.”

He went on to say that continuing airworthiness management organisation (CAMO) is considered the eyes and ears of the aircraft, as they know the ins and outs of the vehicle. “In the case of SriLankan Airlines, we do it, but in some airlines, the CAMO will be outsourced and so will the approved maintenance organisation (AMO).”

Making a name in MRO

When asked about the benefits of insourcing maintenance, De Mel shared that this prevents currency outflow to foreign MROs. It can also reduce costs, as outsourcing would require flying the craft to another location, which results in a loss of flight time as well as time and fuel consumption.

SriLankan Airlines Engineering Department Business Development and Key Account Manager Udaya Perera added that manpower rates are almost doubled when outsourcing, another advantage of insourcing MRO.

However, SriLankan Engineering is capitalising on the post-Covid boom in the industry by outsourcing MROs, and Perera explained that pre-Covid, SriLankan Engineering only had one airline as a customer for base maintenance. “After Covid-19, we have increased our marketing and looked at other options, and now have 10-plus customers.”

At the start, these customers were mainly from the South Asian region, but now, they have expanded to the Middle East, East Africa, and the Far East. 

“Initially, it was a little hard to get customers because we were not very popular as an MRO but over the last couple of years we have gained the confidence of other airlines. Currently, we don’t have slots to offer customers because we carry out our own maintenance as well,” Perera said.

Perera went on to say that in addition to base maintenance, they also offer line maintenance, both in Colombo and the Maldives, ensuring an aircraft’s airworthiness when making the return journey.

There are competitors coming up, however, and Perera said that when it comes to heavy maintenance, SriLankan Engineering was competing with major MROs in the region, such as Joramco, Etihad Engineering, and Turkish Technic.

“We have expanded our component maintenance services as well,” Perera said, explaining that they offer base, line, and workshop maintenance. “Revenue-wise, compared to the 2021-2022 financial year, in 2022-23, we have increased the revenue by 35%. And from base maintenance alone, revenue has increased more than three times.”

He added that they used in-house resources to get the word out, with the marketing and IT teams lending a lot of support in this regard. “We are building our reputation slowly. As it grows, there’ll be more business,” Perera said.

He shared that their main selling point was technical competency, explaining: “Most training facilities and airlines work as separate entities. But here, we have both entities working together, so whatever practical requirements they need, we can provide, and whatever training requirements the airline needs, the training school can provide. So it works well for both organisations.”

Perera added that their team can cater to third-party demands and meet requirements, which has also helped their reputation in MRO. “The fact that we did all our maintenance in-house helped us to gain the confidence of the customers.”

They are also working on developing the capabilities they didn’t have previously. “For example, we were limited to the aircraft and engine types which SriLankan Airlines was using, but now we have a plan to develop into other engine and aircraft types to match the market in the region.”

Perera added there they have quite a few development plans, which they hope to implement in the coming years.

What the future holds

The SriLankan Engineering team shared what they have planned for the coming months and years, with SriLankan Engineering Head Arjuna Kapugeekiyana explaining that they have a comprehensive 18-month plan as well as a five-year plan. Explaining that the possibility of privatisation has to be taken into consideration, which is why they have a short-term plan and a long-term plan.

Kapugeekiyana said: “The short-term plan is to have all the aircraft flying. We had a lot of engine issues because of Covid-19 repercussions, where aircraft were not flying and many didn’t want to send their engines to shops for repairs. Now the market is picking up and everyone wants to send their engines to the shops, so the shops are chock-a-block.”

He addressed the issue of four Airbus aircraft that were grounded due to engine issues, saying: “Our newest fleet got grounded because the new engines started failing prematurely, but we cannot send them out because the shop capabilities are not available globally. That’s a major concern.”

Kapugeekiyana said that they do plan on having the entire fleet flying by the end of the year.

He shared that the biggest challenge at the moment was staff turnover, with SriLankan Airlines losing many experienced staff. However, Engineering has plans in place with SriLankan Academy, where trained technicians and engineers have been lined up to meet the airline’s requirements.

De Mel also spoke about what SriLankan Engineering has planned, saying that they are looking at expanding their facilities. Explaining that there are different types of checks Engineering is required to carry out on an aircraft, De Mel shared that this year and the last saw a lot of six-year checks for aircraft, which are major checks. This limited the number of third-party aircraft they could offer services for.

“This year, we will be finishing six-year checks and for another four years, we won’t have any. We thus want to have a dedicated hangar for third-party aircraft input,” he said, sharing that they also wish to have a dedicated paint hangar.

“We need the investment for this, and right now, is not the right time. But things are improving, and the airline is doing okay, so we can get some funding for this as well,” he said. De Mel said they also wish to upgrade their facilities starting next year, invest in new equipment, and look at the possibility of automation.

Perera spoke further about these plans, saying their biggest difficulty was the unavailability of resources. With only two hangars packed with their own aircraft, SriLankan Airlines would see an increase in business if they had another facility and the manpower to support it.

“There are airlines willing to offer back-to-back aircraft throughout the year but we cannot offer slots to them because of the restrictions we have,” he added.