Delta TechOps, the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business of Delta Air Lines, and Rolls-Royce are teaming up, bringing advanced jet engines from Rolls-Royce to a 100,000-square foot expanded engine shop at Delta's Technical Operations Center in Atlanta.
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Rolls-Royce has named Delta TechOps an approved maintenance center for Trent civil aircraft engines to better serve jet engine customers throughout the life cycle of Rolls-Royce engines for the upcoming generation of aircraft. Delta TechOps will add the Trent XWB and Trent 7000 commercial jet engine types to its MRO portfolio.
"Today's agreement ensures that thousands of Delta TechOps' jobs are secure in the decades ahead," said Richard Anderson, Delta's Chief Executive Officer.
"Rolls-Royce jet engines will not only power Delta's international fleet of the future, but now TechOps will be available to support many other commercial operators in the Americas and beyond."
Design work of the expanded engine maintenance facility at Delta's Technical Operations Center in Atlanta will commence in 2016 with construction expected to begin in 2018. The expansion will include space for all aspects of engine overhaul work including a new test cell, a massive concrete installation where stationary jet engines are run at full thrust. Expanded refurbishment areas for blades and vanes, rotors and dozens of other engine components are also planned.
Delta TechOps currently overhauls more than 600 jet engines every year at its Atlanta and Minneapolis/St. Paul facilities. Technicians conduct highly technical, specialized work with industry-leading turn times, ranging from a few days to more than one month. Engine components are disassembled, overhauled, fabricated, reassembled and evaluated by state-of-the-art non-destructive testing that inspects components for imperfections in addition to full-thrust runs in test cells.
Measuring more than 2.7 million square feet, the Atlanta Technical Operations Center drives maintenance and operational reliability for Delta's fleet of more than 800 aircraft and MRO services for more than 150 operators worldwide, including airframe and component maintenance, a variety of logistical and support services, and engine work.
It has served as a primary base for Delta TechOps since the 1960s, adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport where Delta runs the world's largest hub airport operation.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 170 million customers each year. ■