Story ID: 
AMAC Aerospace Expands VIP Airbus Work
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: A head-of-state A320 will receive KA-band along with a C-check, while a A340-600, owned by an existing client, will  undergo a mandatory FTIS install.
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AMAC Aerospace has recently signed contracts to provide maintenance on two Airbus bizliners—a head-of-state A320 and a privately owned A340-600.

The new A320 maintenance contract, awarded to AMAC’s facility in Basel, Switzerland, will involve a C-check and an upgrade to the existing in-flight entertainment system that includes installation of a Ka-band system and improvements to stream HD content to personal electronic devices. Work will begin in October. The A320 joins a growing number of STCs that AMAC is accruing for Ka-band installations, the company said.

As for the A340-600, the work also will take place in Basel beginning this month. AMAC will provide for an existing client major base maintenance that involves a C-check and landing gear overhaul. This will be carried out in conjunction with a major cabin removal, AMAC said, as well as with a mandatory fuel tank inerting system (FTIS) installation in accordance with Airbus service bulletins.

The FTIS modification is designed to reduce the volatility of the ullage—air volume above the fuel—by reducing the amount of oxygen present in the tank. The FTIS incorporates membrane gas separators to reduce oxygen concentration. The A340-600 is the latest in a number of FTIS installations AMAC has performed on both Airbus narrow- and widebody aircraft, said Eric Hoegen, director of completion sales and key account management for AMAC.