Gallery: Africa's MRO Industry In 2022

In April 2022, Ethiopian Airlines joined the Brown Corridor Initiative (BCI), a partnership set up last year by the African Airlines Association and United Aviation Solutions which aims to make access to African MRO support easier for North American airlines.

Joramco's training division entered into a partnership with Ghanaian services provider Aerojet Aviation this summer to help establish a new training center in Accra. Aerojet Aviation Training Academy will offer four-year courses in aircraft maintenance studies which will combine theoretical and practical training.

Over the past year, Egyptair Maintenance & Engineering has added new training programs and gained approvals for more aircraft types to conduct line maintenance services. These include Airbus A380, A350 and A320neo aircraft with Pratt & Whitney engines. The airline MRO is also targeting increasing third-party service revenues from 30% to 40% in the near future.

European regulator EASA revoked the Part 145 maintenance license of Kenya Airways in June after the flag carrier failed a compliance audit. As a result of the ban, Kenya Airways' MRO division will be unable to carry out maintenance on Europe-registered aircraft. Kenya Airways has stated its intention to comply with EASA regulations.

Among the aftermarket deals signed at Farnborough in July was South African carrier Safair Operations agreeing to a new five-year TrueChoice deal with GE Aviation for overhaul services on its fleet of CFM56-7B engines.

The latest Boeing 2022 Pilot and Technician Outlook forecasts Africa will need 21,000 new technicians through to 2041 in order to service market demand.