Aviation Week Announces 2013 "MRO of the Year" Awards

NEW YORK, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviation Week (http://www.aviationweek.com) today presented its 2013 "MRO of the Year" Awards to four industry leaders: United Airlines, MTU Maintenance, Fokker Services and Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex.  These prestigious annual industry awards, which honor outstanding achievement and innovation in aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), were presented at a ceremony during Aviation Week's MRO Americas Conference & Exhibition at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

"We salute the MRO of the Year award winners for their pioneering achievements and value-adding accomplishments," said Lee Ann Tegtmeier, Chief Editor MRO. "Their dedication to asking the right questions and developing innovative solutions inspires all of us in the aviation aftermarket industry."

United Airlines, the Airline MRO winner, was honored for successfully combining the line maintenance organizations from Continental and United Airlines into one planning department, which has decreased aircraft ground time and has kept 700+ aircraft flying around the world - with high-reliability percentages - on a daily basis.

MTU Maintenance, the Independent MRO winner, successfully launched a GE90 maintenance program on its own, growing from offering on-wing services in 2011 to adding to adding full repair capability including engine testing up to the piece parts level, with full engine cleaning, and spare GE90 lease engine.

Fokker Services, the MRO Supplier winner, developed the iPad EASA Class 2 Type electronic flight bag for pilots, as well as developed installation provisions for its power supply. The Class 2 classification and solution means that the iPad is a permanent installation and is certified for all critical flight phases.

Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, the Military MRO honoree, has implemented critical chain project management and theory of constraints since 2005.  It has achieved improved efficiencies since, but in 2012, improvements climbed to a 98.8% on-time delivery rate from a 47% rate in 2011.

Aviation Week also presented the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. George Ebbs, who founded The Canaan Group, a consultancy that identified aviation maintenance as a core segment, in addition to serving as president and CEO of Embry-Riddle University.  His vision and impact across the global aviation aftermarket helped promulgate the acronym MRO. 

Airlines for America (A4A) also presented the winner of its 46th Annual Nuts and Bolts Awards during the ceremony. Visit www.airlines.org to see the winners.

For more information on the awards and winners, including photos, visit http://www.aviationweek.com or read the April 15 MRO edition of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

About Aviation Week:  Aviation Week, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia data information and marketing services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. Aviation Week produces data and analytics services including the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), industry-leading events around the world, as well as ShowNews and Business & Commercial Aviation.

On July 2, 2012, the group's flagship Aviation Week & Space Technology (AW&ST) relaunched with an even greater focus on technology, business and operations that has long been the brand's hallmark.  In addition to civil, military and space, AW&ST's market coverage is further expanded with new monthly MRO and Defense Technology editions to include land and sea and aftermarket insights.

Aviation Week's 2012 digital expansion includes a redesigned AviationWeek.com for deeper community engagement and navigation and a comprehensive technology upgrade to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN).  AWIN, the industry's essential integrated business tool, now has increased capability through more fleet and MRO data and an expanded team of data analysts.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: The McGraw-Hill Companies, to be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval), is a powerhouse in credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. Leading brands include: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 27 countries. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

SOURCE Aviation Week