A new partnership is under way between Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) and Philippine Airlines (PAL). The two groups have announced the conclusion of an engine support agreement covering 32 CFM56-5B engines that power the Philippine flag carrier’s fleet of Airbus A320ceo aircraft.

The enhanced cooperation comes at a time of steady expansion for PAL, which has restored its global network of nonstop flights to destinations in Asia, North America, Oceania and the Middle East along with a robust domestic network within the Philippines.

AFI KLM E&M has been PAL’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) partner of choice for a number of years, notably for the maintenance of GE90 engines on PAL’s long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft, and will now undertake a wide range of work scopes on the CFM56-5Bs, both in-shop and on-site.

Adaptiveness and mutual trust

Specifically, the maintenance program covers the performance of 10 shop visits and 22 Quick Turn operations, some of which will be carried out using On-Site configuration at the PAL engineering facilities in Manila.

Via this agreement, the two partners are consolidating a longstanding relationship that already comprised engine support for the GE90 and CFM56-5B products, and was recently expanded to include Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) support for PAL’s 777 and A330 fleets. During the pandemic, AFI KLM E&M demonstrated its capacity for adaptiveness, supporting the Philippines’ flag carrier through a restructuring phase by providing adjusted responses to its needs.

The custom-designed work scopes for the CFM56-5B, combined with the optional provision of two spare engines and access to the Prognos® for Engines predictive maintenance system, will offer PAL a high-performance support package, with a focus on asset availability and optimizing the cost of ownership.

Alvin Limqueco, Acting CFO and SVP Supply Chain Management of Philippine Airlines, emphasized: “It is important for our airline to be able to rely on a stable partner that is attentive to our specific needs and goals, in both good times and bad. Having remained by our side during the upheavals of the global health crisis, AFI KLM E&M is now supporting the recovery and renewal of Philippine Airlines, which involves the re-activation of broad-scale maintenance operations. We look forward to continued solid cooperation with AFI KLM E&M as we carry out PAL’s mission of connecting the Philippines with the world in a way that boosts tourism and economic growth.”

Pierre Teboul, SVP Commercial at AFI KLM E&M, added: “we are delighted to be writing a new chapter in our long history of cooperation with Philippine Airlines. Over the years our respective teams have developed a close-knit relationship built on mutual trust, enabling us to form solid partnerships and to work together to design solutions to enhance PAL’s operational performance.”