Air Arabia Enters into Maintenance Agreement with Hamilton Sundstrand for APS3200 Auxiliary Power Unit

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Jul 21, 2010, 01:00 ET

FARNBOROUGH, England, July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW -- Air Arabia has signed an exclusive maintenance agreement with Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems to provide long-term repair and maintenance support for its APS3200 Auxiliary Power Units (APU) installed on 16 existing Airbus A320 aircraft. Hamilton Sundstrand is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

The APS3200 APU is currently on board more than 1,600 Airbus A320 aircraft around the world and has accumulated more than 23 million hours since entering service.

"The APS3200 has been a popular choice with airlines since its introduction to service in 1994," said Danny Di Perna, Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems vice president and general manager. "Hamilton Sundstrand and Air Arabia have had a long-standing relationship and under the new agreement, Hamilton Sundstrand will continue to provide Air Arabia customer support and repair services on the existing fleet of APS3200-equipped A320 aircraft. We are extremely pleased to retain Air Arabia as a valued customer, and are looking forward to continuing that relationship."

Air Arabia (PJSC), listed on the Dubai Financial Market, is the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa region, the international airline of the Emirate of Sharjah and one of the officially approved national carriers of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Morocco and Egypt. Air Arabia commenced operations in October 2003 and operates a fleet of new Airbus A320 aircraft, serving a wide range of destinations across the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Asia. Air Arabia operates from three hubs in Sharjah International Airport, UAE; Mohamed V International Airport in Morocco and Burj Al Arab International Airport in Egypt.

Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems, based in San Diego, Calif., currently has more than 13,000 APUs in commercial and military service.

With 2009 revenues of $5.6 billion, Hamilton Sundstrand is headquartered in Windsor Locks, Conn. Among the world's largest suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and industrial products, the company designs, manufactures and services aerospace systems and provides integrated system solutions for commercial, regional, corporate and military aircraft. It also is a major supplier for international space programs.

United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries worldwide.