EirTrade will likely evolve into providing asset management services for some of our larger customers that will include short-term engine leasing.
COVID-19 pandemic is behind us. The aviation industry is gearing up, tourists have started traveling and business aviation is picking pace. Although people are cautious about air travel, operators are leaving no stones unturned to take care of safety precautions for travellers. Aircraft are coming out of parking, and this is putting added pressure on MROs to overhaul and send the aircraft back in air. In a candid conversation with EirTrade Director, Bill Thompson, he speaks about how EirTrade is dealing with this demand by aggressively acquire unserviceable assets, how they tackled the pandemic and EirTrade’s expansion plans going ahead, in an exclusive Interview with Swati.k.. Read On to find more…!
Q – First of all, congratulations on opening the Dallas facility, any particular reason for selecting this location for the facility?
A – Thank you. Dallas is an ideal centralized location in the US and our new facility is located close to the Dallas, Ft. Worth airport. Additionally, there are a good number of seasoned aviation professionals in the DFW area, with many already having a great deal of experience supporting the aviation aftermarket; more specifically having direct experience with the repair, sale and distribution of used serviceable engine and airframe material.
Q – EirTrade’s expansion into US markets, your views? Going ahead what are your expansion plans in the future.
A – Initially, our primary focus is supporting major engine and airframe MRO facilities and airlines operating in North America by providing customised material solutions across a wide variety of engine models. Looking forward, EirTrade will likely evolve into providing asset management services for some of our larger customers that will include short-term engine leasing.
Q – What are the specific MRO operations you have planned for this facility?
A – There are no immediate plans to provide MRO Services from our Dallas facility. Going forward, however, we may provide engine storage and preservation services at our facility.
Q – How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your operations and what are your plans for recovery?
A – Fortunately, we opened our warehouse on June 1st of this year and have been operating in a mostly post-pandemic environment. We have been able to attract talented aviation professionals to support our initial growth. While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the aviation industry, the overall effects on the EirTrade Dallas facility have been somewhat minimal and have not thwarted our initial operations nor stunted our initial growth plans.
Q – With more and more aircraft coming out of storage as air travel resumes, will the MROs be buckled under extra maintenance workload? What are your plans to tackle this problem?
A – As more aircraft are placed back into service, many will require engine and aircraft maintenance and the MRO organizations will face additional strain on their current operations. The demand for material to satisfy these augmented maintenance requirements, will also surge. Our continuing plans are to aggressively acquire unserviceable assets to service the increasing material demand through used serviceable material offerings. Of course, used serviceable material will also assist both MROs and airlines to control their cost budgets at the same time.
Q – What are your views on the upcoming Passenger to Freighter conversions market?
A – We have worked closely with partners that are actively pursuing aircraft for freighter conversion. In most ways, the additional freighter conversion activity generates renewed life for these mature commercial engine types that will extend their product life cycles. As such, EirTrade is targeting many of these engine types installed on freighter aircraft and acquiring unserviceable engines to provide used serviceable material support for the remainder of their product life span.
