CA BIN R E TROFITS
“It is essential
to have a
clearly agreed
upon scope
of work”
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
MARCH 2020 061
Turning engine issues
into opportunity
In 2016 Virgin Atlantic was experiencing
operational issues relating to the Trent
1000 engines powering its Dreamliners, and
looked to the leasing market to fill a gap in
its fleet. For the airline, one option stood
out: four ex-Air Berlin A330-200s featuring
high-quality economy class seating, lie-flat
seats with 100% aisle access, and an inflight
connectivity system.
In terms of passenger offer, the aircraft
provided features consistent with Virgin
Atlantic’s fleet, though they had to be
changed from two class to three class, with
a dedicated 35-seat premium economy
cabin retrofitted.
The airline opted
to stick with Air
Berlin’s Solstys
business class
seats from
Stelia Aerospace,
although the seats were replaced with
new, mildly customised versions, with
modifications including additional table and
stowage space, rather than a simple retrim.
“The decision was based on what we
could put on board the fastest that would
to give our customers the best experience,”
explains Daniel Kerzner, Virgin Atlantic’s
VP of customer experience. “And of course
there are various limitations for seat
production in terms of speed to market.”
MRO service provider, SR Technics,
completed the cabin refurbishment of the
four A330s in record time, including fitting
the seating, IFE, and a customised trolley
stowage unit. Despite the tight deadline
and the project taking place during the
busy holiday season, all four aircraft were
delivered on schedule between December
2018 and January 2019.
As Ron Eaton, VP of engineering services at AAR,
an international aviation and expeditionary services
company explains, “For a two-to-three class change it
depends on the scope of work. For example, a change
from a single class to a two or three class cabin could
involve the installation of first class and business class
seats, installation or relocation of monuments – including
galleys, lavatories and closets – and possibly fitting newer,
slimmer, economy class seats. The typical turnaround
time for such a programme is a minimum of six to nine
months, although some programmes can take 12 months
or more, depending on the type of premium seats selected
and the features that go into such seats.”
Eaton says that the timeframe would also include
design engineering, certification, production of seats,
monuments and mod kits, etc, with the long-lead items
usually being the seats and IFE. He adds that it would
be reasonable to expect all parts for the retrofit to arrive
on dock at the MRO facilities at least one month prior
to the start of actual ‘touch labour’
for the cabin modification.
It is essential to have a clearly
agreed upon scope of work and
programme timeline, adds Jose Pevida,
SVP of engineering and product
development at HAECO Cabin Solutions.
“One of the keys to start with is the
scheduling in general, and making sure that
there is an alignment between the statement of work
for all the associated suppliers,” he says.
“You have to ensure that, once the suppliers have
been selected, everyone understands their roles and
responsibilities so there will be no gaps or disconnects,”
adds Pevida. “A reconfiguration going from three classes
to two on a wide body will take anywhere from 30-45
days, and there will be a learning curve from the MRO.
You want to start between nine and 12 months before the
completion deadline for the modification.”
TOP AND INSET: VIRGIN ATLANTIC
STUCK WITH THE SOLSTYS SEAT
FOR ITS EX-AIR BERLIN A330-200s
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com