CONGO REPUBLIC: Establishing An Aviation Maintenance Organization

Information is emerging from Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo’s capital city, that Sabena Aerospace, formerly known as Sabena Technic, along with EC Air, the national airline of Congo, have signed a partnership deal with the aim to establish an East African School of Aviation (EASA)-approved Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) organization.

MROs have to meet global standards to be recognized and approved by such global aviation heavyweights as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or EASA, and no doubt Sabena Aerospace will bring their proven expertise and operational methods into the new company.

While airlines registered in the Republic of Congo are generally banned from Europe as a result of weak oversight and enforcement, EC Air has smartly circumnavigated this hurdle by operating several of their aircraft under an Aircraft, Complete crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) lease from airlines subject to European aviation rules, making it possible for it to fly to such destinations as Paris.

The new joint venture company, in which the Belgian partner will hold a 51 percent majority, will ensure that in-house maintenance will comply with EASA standards, Part 145, 147 and 21.

Active maintenance is expected to be online by the fourth quarter of this year, initially starting with line maintenance and so called A-checks (aviation checks) before later expanding the services, when a new maintenance hangar has been constructed at the Maya Maya International Airport.

Sabena Aerospace also set up a maintenance base across the Congo river in Kinshasha which equally attained EASA approval and already carries out major maintenance work.

EC Air is host airline this year of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) Annual General Assembly which will take place in November in Brazzaville, while the airline’s CEO, Fatima Beyina-Moussa, is the current president of AFRAA.