Air Arabia, a leading low-cost carrier in Mena, has signed a long-term, full engine support contract for its growing Airbus A320 fleet with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M), a MRO provider.

Air Arabia, a leading low-cost carrier in Mena, has signed a long-term, full engine support contract for its growing Airbus A320 fleet with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M), a major multi-product MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) provider.

The agreement was signed by Adel Al Ali, Group chief executive officer of Air Arabia, and Fabrice Defrance, senior vice president Commercial of AFI KLM E&M at the Dubai Airshow 2017, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

The contract covers engine maintenance of Air Arabia’s current and expanding fleet of 50 A320 aircraft. The new contract covers the full array of Air Arabia’s fleet requirements, from shop visits to worldwide on-wing support. Real-time engine monitoring will also be on offer via the Prognos for Engine predictive maintenance solution developed by AFI KLM E&M at its innovation platform, The MRO Lab.

Al Ali said: "Our decision to opt for AFI KLM E&M to fulfil this large-scale and long-term contract demonstrates our confidence in their ability to deliver the level of quality we expect. Working with the right partners will help us grow our fleet and the routes we serve at a faster pace."

Defrance added: "We are pleased to have Air Arabia select us as a partner of choice for their growing A320 fleet. It is a powerful signal of our ambition to expand in the Middle East and Africa across the full array of our MRO services, and in particular our engine support services."

This agreement strengthens the carrier’s existing partnership as AFI KLM E&M provides airframe support to Air Arabia via its specialized Moroccan joint venture, Aerotechnic Industries (ATI).

Air Arabia currently operates flights to 133 routes across the globe from five hubs located in the Mena region. – TradeArabia News Service