Gulf Air has awarded Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) a support contract covering the CFM56-5B engines powering its A320ceo fleet.

A component support contract for the Kingdom of Bahrain national carrier’s A320 fleet is already in place between the two companies.

The latest agreement was signed during the Dubai Airshow and includes shop visits, fleet engineering, condition monitoring, spare support and other additional services. AFI KLM E&M said Gulf Air would also benefit from its ‘PROGNOS’ predictive maintenance tool.

AFI KLM E&M and Gulf Air have been working together for more than ten years, initially with an engine support contract for the airline’s A320s and A340s.

“It is very valuable to be able to work on a long-term basis with a player who has a deep knowledge of its products, from both a maintenance point of view and as an operator of the fleets concerned,” said Gulf Air’s acting chief executive officer Captain Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi. “It is this understanding of airline-MRO, combined with true flexibility in the offerings and support that continues to convince us in furthering our relationship with AFI KLM E&M.”

AFI KLM E&M’s SVP commercial Pierre Teboul commented: “Gulf Air is a historical customer since 2008 and we are very proud to maintain this long-term partnership. Therefore we are pleased to have been selected by Gulf Air as a partner of choice for the maintenance and support for the engines on their A320ceo fleet. It is a powerful signal of our ambition to expand in the Middle East and Africa across the full array of our MRO services and in particular our engine support services, enabling us to respond quickly to demand in an appropriate manner.”