Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) expects to return to 2019 revenue levels in 2024, executive vice president Anne Brachet told reporters at a briefing at Paris Airshow Wednesday.
The company performs MRO work on more than 3,000 aircraft, has over 200 customers worldwide, and saw 500 engine shop visits last year when it earned total revenues of €3.6 billion ($3.93 billion).
At its 20 maintenance facilities, it conducted over 275 C and D checks last year, more than 40 cabin programs, and operated eight logistics centers. The headcount today totals 12,800 and the company expects to add a further 1,000 staff in the coming three years. Officials said that Air France had added 400 MRO technicians last year and KLM a further 200.
AFI KLM E&M announced deals this week at Paris Airshow involving the A220 fleets of JetBlue and Air Austral, as well as agreements with CMA CGM Air Cargo, Air Senegal, and Philippine Airlines.
Looking ahead to the next decade, Brachet believes engine and line maintenance and components will dominate the market, while minimizing airframe heavy maintenance and modifications where possible amid continuing supply chain issues, an unstable geopolitical situation, and the ongoing specter of inflation. Brachet said that MRO trends followed fleet trends and that the market needed reliable players. “The key message from the market is service level,” she said.