ATR and Mandarin Airlines, a regional subsidiary of Taiwan's flag carrier China Airlines, have signed a Global Maintenance Agreement (GMA). This comprehensive support package covers the repair, overhaul and pooling services of Line Replaceable Units, along with a door-to-door service through which ATR is providing transportation of spares to the airline's facilities.

This GMA covers the entire ATR fleet of the Taiwanese carrier, consisting of nine ATR 72-600s. World's leading turboprop manufacturer ATR hereby reaches a key milestone of more than 300 in-service aircraft under GMAs. Through ATR's flagship maintenance offer, Mandarin Airlines will benefit from an a la carte pay-by-the-hour maintenance package, with a high level of flexibility that makes it possible to meet a wide range of specific needs, depending on the operator's local resources, fleet and expected operations.

Mandarin Airlines' President, Jenny Tsao, declared: "In terms of maintenance and repair, the ATR GMA allows us to minimise our own stock level while maintaining an adequate level of protection. The delivery time for parts is very short, which means easier budget control for us and enhanced efficiency. Most of all, ATR's support is proving extremely useful when it comes to offering recommendations as we phase in our new fleet and learn how to make the most of it."

This maintenance agreement is part of a broader support from ATR who will be providing a full range of technical and engineering maintenance services, along with comprehensive training solutions for the airline's flight crew, mechanics and technicians. ATR is also supporting China Airlines and its subsidiaries to set-up in-house capabilities for ATR heavy maintenance, up to C-checks.

Tom Anderson, Senior Vice-President Programs and Customer Services of ATR stated: "Our partnership with Mandarin Airlines is a great example of ATR's commitment to anticipate and answer the various needs of our operators worldwide. Mandarin Airlines will indeed also benefit from continuous monitoring of the aircraft configuration to enhance safety and reliability even further."

Mandarin Airlines started operating its first ATR 72-600s in February 2018. Taiwan's domestic network counts 1.2 million passengers annually and the airline's aircraft are already providing essential air services within the country.

Contributed by ATR