MRO Market: Solutions to sustain Africa's market recovery

The pattern of recovery observed in African aviation in recent months is set to continue in 2023, yet raises a key challenge for airlines: keeping their planes in the air for as long as possible while also reducing maintenance costs. Despite the market tension incurred by the global economic and geopolitical context, including the supply chain slowdown, AFI KLM E&M is responding with ingenuity and innovation in order to meet these requirements.

Following two complicated years resulting from the health crisis, the African air transport market saw the beginnings of a gradual recovery in 2022. This recovery is still underway, and after having had to weather the consequences of the pandemic, airlines must now contend with operational and economic challenges including pressure on their financial resources and the need to re-implement maintenance programs.

State of play

As is the case elsewhere around the world, the pattern of recovery appears to be holding steady in Africa, but remains dependent on uncertain factors linked to the geopolitical and health contexts. Prudent optimism is the current watchword, even as airline capacity (in terms of available seats) is returning to its pre-Covid status – "at 90% of 2019 levels," indicates Matthijs Driessen, Director of Strategic Sales for the Middle East and Africa at AFI KLM E&M.

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“The market remains fragile but is getting back on its feet, both in terms of passenger and freight transport. The rude health of the freight segment is reflected in solid productivity and several instances of Passenger planes being converted for Cargo transport. Looking beyond the raw data, the reality for airlines is a contrasting picture, many continue to face financial difficulties and are actively fighting to participate in the recovery. On an operational level, we are seeing a proliferation of flight cancellations due to AOG events. Moreover, competition is heating up with the emergence of aviation start-ups eager to carve out their own slice of the African market – one which remains young, dynamic and fast-growing.”states Matthijs Driessen, Strategic Sales Director of Middle East & Africa.

With operational recovery comes an urgent need for maintenance

In this type of market environment, what exactly are the immediate challenges and expectations for the continent's operators? The first order of business will be relaunching maintenance programs, in particular for engines, following a period in which airlines have tended to rely on the use of green time in order to push back their shop visits as far as possible. "Right now there's a pressing need for shop visits," confirms Aymeric Méchin, VP Sales Middle East & Africa Region at AFI KLM E&M. "Demand is high, but supply is limited: workshops around the world are practically at capacity, and slots are hard to come by.

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“In light of this situation, it is vital that airlines do everything they can to anticipate their needs and plan ahead, working via long-term contracts with their MRO supplier. AFI KLM E&M's airline-MRO approach, its expertise and state-of-the art facilities in Paris and Amsterdam and the power of its local network (like ATI in Morocco, and AMES in Dubai), is capable of providing slots for Engine and Aircraft visits, thereby allowing its customers to avoid keeping their planes grounded,” confirms Aymeric Mechin, VP Sales, Middle East & Africa at AFI KLM E&M.

Use big data and predictive maintenance to limit the impact of supply chain issues

Component repair is also under strain due to the slowdown in the global supply chain, making the process of sourcing new parts and raw materials a complex affair.

“Our pool access solutions are on hand to secure our customers' operations, and to sustain our ability to provide components which can be serviced at any time. The predictive maintenance capabilities offered by our Prognos? solution are just as beneficial in terms of shielding operators against these risks, and by extension, against breakdowns and AOG situations,” adds Aymeric Mechin.

Indeed, predictive services have never been more relevant than in the current environment, in which forward planning and availability are critical challenges.

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“With Prognos?, AFI KLM E&M deploys multi-product predictive expertise as part of our support contracts. The ultimate goal is to switch from a mindset of using unscheduled to scheduled maintenance, helping airlines to understand and anticipate the moment when a system, component or part will cease to function properly. It's also about meeting heightened economic and operational expectations, working to reduce the number of AOGs, unplanned visits, accumulation of part stocks, etc. The value of Prognos? also lies in its ability to take into account the operational context of each individual customer. For African airlines in particular, by factoring in the specificities of the harsh flying environment, we can define adapted models in order to keep aircraft and systems flight-ready for as long as possible,” says Ahmoss Messayeh, Director of Innovation.

New technologies enter the fray

In addition to predictive maintenance, AFI KLM E&M is using its innovation capabilities to design further value-generating solutions for airlines. Additive manufacturing (3D printing), for example, enables us to meet the need for immediate availability of various cabin parts with high rates of wear and tear. The MRO has also developed a virtual visit solution (Virtual Table Inspection) enabling customers to take a remote tour of the workshop in order to monitor progress on their equipment. This option proved particularly useful during the health crisis, but its benefits don't end there: less physical travel means a reduced cost to the customer!

Finally, in recent years AFI KLM E&M has expanded its positioning on new-generation aircraft. Although these types of planes remain, for the moment at least, are not the majority of aircraft in operation in the African market, the maintenance capabilities needed to service them are ready and implemented with some airlines in the region. In addition, AFI KLM E&M provides phase-out expertise in order to support airlines in the removal of older aircraft and related engines from their fleets, developing customized workscopes designed to optimize costs while also respecting the phase-out clauses agreed with leasing companies.

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