Aviation Week : Airbus - A330 Could See 6% Dip In Maintenance Costs - by Frank Jackman

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Airbus - A330 Could See 6% Dip In Maintenance Costs - by Frank Jackman

Further increases in Airbus A330/A340 airframe maintenance intervals, combined with technology upgrades in Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, could result in a 6% decrease in direct maintenance costs for A330s powered by upgraded versions of the 100-inch, PW4168 powerplants, according to Stuart Colin, vice president of marketing for Airbus. At entry into service, the A330/A340 maintenance program called for A checks every 400 flight hours, C checks every 15 months, intermediate checks at five-year intervals and structural inspections every 10 years. Since then, the intervals have been escalated to A checks at every 600 flight hours, C checks at 18 month intervals, and intermediate checks every six years. Major structural inspections, heavy checks that take five weeks to complete, currently remain at 10 years, but that is expected to change by year-end, according to Colin.