Bamboo Airways has contracted Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) to provide a support programme for its GEnx engines along with a first C-check on its 787 fleet.

Both contracts came into effect in early October.

A Bamboo Airways Dreamliner has already undergone a C-check at AFI KLM E&M’s Amsterdam base, followed by the removal of a first GEnx engine.

The partners said their objective was “to capitalise on these scheduled maintenance visits to optimise logistics and turnaround times during engine shop visits”.

AFI KLM E&M and Bamboo Airways have been working together since the Vietnamese airline’s founding in 2018. At the end of 2020, Bamboo Airways joined the 787 Operators Community led by AFI KLM E&M and has since benefited from full components support for its fleet, including repairs, logistics, the provision of an advanced stock at its Hanoi base and access to spare parts pools located around the world.

“We are pleased to continue to build on our trust-based relationship with Bamboo Airways,” said KLM Engineering & Maintenance’s EVP Ton Dortmans. “Over the past months we have worked closely together to address the crisis and implement all necessary adapted solutions. Today, we are more than ever committed to helping Bamboo Airways prepare for the restart of international traffic in the best possible conditions, and to support its strong growth ambitions in terms of fleet expansion and the opening of new routes, especially to Europe.”

Bamboo Airways’ director of leasing and procurement Nguyen Minh Khoa commented: “The AFI KLM E&M teams in Amsterdam have been very responsive and attentive to our needs, both technically and in terms of preparing to welcome our teams and aircraft. The expertise of an MRO with a thorough knowledge of the 787 fleets is of great significance for Bamboo Airways to enhance the operational efficiency and superb services of outstanding quality, contributing to the commercial success of our expansive flight network from Vietnam to the most demanding aviation markets in the world.”