"We are one team": We ensure flights safety and high reliability of the airlines fleet - Manager of Air Astana JSC
ASTANA. June 17. KAZINFORM /Askar Bimendin/ Today Kazakhstan gives special attention to flight safety, in particular, after the 2009 ban for all Kazakh airlines to carry out flights to Europe, with the exception of "Air Astana". The main reason of exclusion of the national air operator from the "black list" is its conformity with the European standards - high standards of safety and reliability of the fleet, which is a merit of the engineering and technical staff of the air company.
"We are one team. For eight years we have been working side by side to ensure high reliability of the fleet. Earlier, many engineers worked in the predecessor airline company", aircraft maintenance manager of the company Tamerlan Yakupov said.
The engineering and technical staff of Air Astana is represented approximately by 200 highly qualified specialists. Engineers, as well as flight crews and flight attendants have been trained at the best training centers, like Boeing (Seattle, USA), Airbus (Toulouse, France), British Airways (London, UK), CAE (Dubai, UAE), CAE (Maastricht, Netherlands), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul, Turkey). Payments for staff training make a significant share in the company's expenses.
Today, the fleet of the national flight operator consists of 22 aircrafts: 2 Boeing-767, 4 Boeing-757, 2 Airbus A321, 7 Airbus A320, one Airbus A319 and 6 Fokker-50. In the nearest future the company plans to purchase 190 Embraer aircrafts. In 2011 two of these aircrafts will serve domestic and regional routes in Central Asia and CIS countries, including some cities of Russia and neighboring countries. The company also plans to buy its own equipment. The National Company also made an order for assembly of six Airbus A320aircrafts. The delivery of the aircrafts will be started in 2012.
Despite the fact that the average age of jet planes is only 7 years, the planes like cars, require regular maintenance. In this regard an engineering department of Air Astana was established in order to provide linear maintenance of aircrafts in accordance with the European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) requirements.
In spring 2010 Air Astana set to implementation of a program on training engineers for obtaining a license for EASA Part-66 aircrafts maintenance. This will allow upgrading qualification of the company's engineering-technical staff and improve the level of the planes maintenance.
In addition, presence of up-to-date equipment proves the high level of the company's reliability. To date Air Astana possesses the largest warehouse of aircraft parts of foreign production. All of them are purchased directly from the producers or suppliers. The cost of these repair parts in the warehouse makes USD 7.7 mln. Besides, the company has an access to a reserve of parts of AJW, Air France, SORK Fokker to the amount of USD 33 mln. Air Astana also concluded contracts on technical support with Boeing, Airbus, Fokker, Rolls-Royse, GE and Lufthansa Aero etc.
Timur Yakupov shared the latest achievements of the department with us. "Our company fulfils the requirements of airworthiness directives issued by the American and European aviation authorities. The department uses the programs of management of the aircrafts reliability and implements the programs on inspecting load-bearing elements of the planes and protecting them from corrosion.
Up-to-date equipment , implementation of innovative technologies and European standards of safety are undoubtedly the pledge of success of Air Astana. However, the main merit belongs to its team. Due to faithfulness to work, team spirit and professionalism the engineering-technical staff of the department of Air Astana became a model for other airlines of Astana and Central Asia.