Retro' rockets Airmotive to world-class status

Jordan Airmotive, a specialised MRO provider based at Amman international airport, has discovered a niche in which it has developed a world-class reputation.

Throughout the world – and particularly the developing nations – there are many airlines and cargo operators that are not in the position of the Gulf carriers to order 787s and A350s and, instead, are plying routes with classic legacy aircraft that may still have years left on the airframe.

The problem is often the powerplants. Engines that are no longer manufactured can create difficulties for spare parts or even knowledge for maintenance – and this where Jordan Airmotive comes in.

“The company was established in 1985 in collaboration with Rolls-Royce as an offset offer for the Royal Jordanian purchase of the Lockheed TriStar fleet with the RB211-424B engines,” said general manager Hatim Bashir. The company became part of the Royal Jordanian group and was owned by the Government. In 2006, as part of the divestment of business by the airline, Jordan Airmotive moved into private hands through a local investment group.

But the heritage moved with the 27,000sqm facility and the company realised that there were fewer and fewer shops able to deal with the RB211 engines.

“There are still aircraft out there and our position between Europe, Asia and Africa makes us ideally located for engine repairs and overhaul,” Bashir said.

Supporting the original RJ fleet of Boeing 707, 727 and 747 aircraft, as well as the TriStar, meant that Airmotive gained the necessary experience with engines such as the JT3D, JT8D and the CF6-50.

More recently, as part of the overall growth strategy, the company is looking at other mature programmes and has begun working with the CFM56-3 engine. “In the longer term we will be looking at the dash five model,” Bashir said.

The company is predicting 10 per cent growth and will be looking to expand hangar space. “We have plenty of land and will be able to do it,” Bashir said.

More investment has gone into the firm’s testbed facilites with $25million being spent on a new testbed for engines up to 1,000lbs of thrust. “This is world class,” Bashir said.

The investment will allow Jordan Airmotive to look at other models, such as IAE’s V2500 and the T56. “With our new capabilities, we believe we can reach about 68 per cent of the engine populations worldwide,” Bashir said.