Spirit AeroSystems has signed a multi-year supply agreement with Ethiopian Airlines for aftermarket customer support.
Spirit will provide thrust reverser, fuselage and wing component spare parts for the airline’s fleet of Boeing aircraft, which will give the airline “predictable and competitive pricing for all parts in the Spirit catalog while ensuring availability for key parts and components,” the company said.
Ethoipian Airlines is Spirit’s first contract customer in Africa.
“This is a significant milestone for our company as we continue to expand our global support footprint,” Mike Williams, vice president and general manager of Spirit Aftermarket customer support, said in a statement.
Gov. Sam Brownback will present Spirit AeroSystems with Butler Community College’s first Corporate Diversity Award.
He will present the award to Spirit president and CEO Jeff Turner at a breakfast ceremony at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 26 at the Hyatt Regency Wichita hotel.
“Through Jeff’s visionary leadership, Spirit AeroSystems has led the way for other companies in our region to see diversity in a new light – as a solid business approach that enhances the bottom line,” Butler president Jackie Vietti said in a statement.
The award is designed to honor a business or organization that demonstrates leadership in valuing diversity in the workplace while working to transform the “broader community into an inclusive environment,” information about the award said.
Tickets for the breakfast are $75 each and table sponsorships are available. For tickets or more information, call 316-218-6355 or advanceks@butlercc.edu.
Boeing announced that it’s received an order for 60 Boeing 737 MAX airliners from Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes valued at $6 billion at list prices.
GOL plans to use the planes to increase its operational efficiency and reduce costs, Boeing said.
It’s the largest airplane order from a single airline in South America’s aviation history, it said.
The 737 MAX is an upgraded Boeing 737 Next-Generation airplane that will be equipped with new engines, called LEAP-1B, from CFM International, and winglets.
Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, which builds the 737 fuselage, will build the fuselage for the MAX.
Boeing says the MAX will reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions and lower operating costs.
The company now has 724 firm orders for the airplane.
Gulfstream Aerospace’s G550 large-cabin business jet has received type certification from South African Civil Aviation Authority, the latest of nearly 30 countries and regions that have certified the aircraft.
The news comes days after Gulfstream’s new G280 business jet earned type certificates from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel.
The certificates verify the airworthiness of the airplane’s design and are among the final steps needed to deliver the jets to customers.
Deliveries of the G280 will begin before the end of the year.
Spirit AeroSystems builds the plane’s wings.
The G280 is a joint effort between Gulfstream and Israel Aerospace Industries.
Gulfstream introduced the G550 in 2000. It received type and production certificates from the FAA in 2003.
Spirit AeroSystems, seeking to grow its aftermarket business in China, announced the opening of an aftermarket customer support sales office in Shanghai, China.
China is an increasingly important market for the company, Mike Williams, vice president and general manager of Spirit’s aftermarket customer support business, said in a statement.
“The opening of a representative office in Shanghai helps position us to better serve our Chinese customers and gives us a solid foundation from which to grow,” Williams said.
Spirit also operates an aftermarket customer support office in Singapore.
Spirit AeroSystems has matured a low-cost, high-rate composite manufacturing process for primary wing box parts distribution, the company said during the Farnborough International Airshow.
The work is being done by its facilities in Prestwick, Scotland.
The “out of autoclave” fabrication process will produce high tolerance composite integrated parts such as primary wing skins and spars with less energy, lower capital investment and lower part production costs, the company said.
Marcello Grassi, Spirit Europe’s head of technology, called it a “crucial milestone” in its quest to deliver to its customers a composite production system that’s capable of coping with high production rates with more balanced and sustainable technology.
Spirit AeroSystems recognized 13 companies this week as 2011 Platinum Suppliers for customer satisfaction and performance.
Suppliers were selected for quality, on-time delivery, support and willingness to partner with Spirit for “overall improvement in value.”
They were honored at an event Tuesday.
Three of the suppliers are based in Kansas, including Complexx Machining and Exacta Aerospace in Wichita and Valent Aerostructures in Cottonwood Falls.
Spirit AeroSystem’s Tulsa facility is hosting a job fair on its site next week as it seeks to hire 200 mechanics and skilled technicians, according to a report in the Tulsa World.
Increased demand for aircraft components is driving the need to hire workers, the report said.
Experienced mechanics, bonders and painters wanting to apply should post a resume through http://makeitfly.aero/jobs and follow up with a call to Spirit at 918-832-3012 to schedule an interview, the report said.
Job seekers must have an appointment for the job fair.
A pile of debris caught on fire at Spirit AeroSystems Thursday night.
The debris was old roofing left on top of one of the buildings. Normally, roofers throw the roofing off the building as they work, Spirit spokeswoman Debbie Gann said.
But because of the wind, they left it there temporarily. It was that debris that caught on fire, she said.
Someone at Spirit reported the fire at 8:48 p.m. It was brought under control by 9:30 p.m.
Roofers are still working across the site to fix the roofs damaged or torn off during Saturday night’s tornado, Gann said.
Around-the-clock recovery efforts are on-going at Spirit AeroSystems, which took a direct hit from a F-3 tornado late Saturday.
A new video shows some of the efforts as well as a view of the damage.
Video is courtesy of Spirit AeroSystems.
