FR atterra 5 200

[Oli]

Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline, has temporarily grounded five of its oldest aircraft after discovering "scratches" on the outer aluminium skin prompting concerns about the previous maintenance of the aircraft.

An investigation is under way with Boeing, the manufacturer of the more than 20-year-old 737-200s, to establish the source and seriousness of the scratches.

Ryanair said on Friday night that it had become aware of the "scratches or scribing" during the course of a recent scheduled aircraft overhaul.

It said in a statement that the nature of the scratches "indicated that an inappropriate procedure may have been undertaken during the course of that aircraft's last full repainting which was undertaken by FLS Aerospace in the UK."

FLS Aerospace is a subsidiary of FLS Industries, a Danish conglomerate, and describes itself as "one of the world's most respected suppliers of aircraft maintenance and engineering services" and as Europe's largest independent maintenance provider. It has a network of maintenance centres at airports such as London Stansted, London Gatwick, Manchester and Dublin.

A spokeswoman for FLS said that the repainting of the aircraft had taken place 10 years ago at its facility in Bournemouth.

In a statement the company said that it "has not been established that this issue arose as a result of work performed at FLS Aerospace in the UK during visits approximately 10 years ago".

It said it believed "in the highest standards of quality and safety in maintenance" and said it was working with the aircraft manufacturer, as would be normal industry practise, to understand the nature and cause of the problem.

"It is too early to draw conclusions as to the cause of the problem and whether it indeed relates to FLS Aerospace," it said.

A Boeing spokeswoman said that the issue was "under investigation." Two airlines had brought to Boeing's attention the issue of finding the similar sort of scratches on their aircraft, one in February and one in March.

"They had discovered cracks on their aircraft, both were 737-200s," she said.

The scratches were found near the joints where aluminium sections overlap and sealant had been removed prior to repainting.

She said that a sharp instrument had been used to remove the sealant, a procedure that is not allowed precisely because of the danger of scratching the aluminium.

Such scratches could corrode over time and spread into cracks, she said.

"The operator found them, because they had led to a crack, during the regular maintenance inspection, because it is under the paint...A crack can become a safety issue because it can spread. That's why it has our attention."

She said Boeing had "focused the investigation on a facility that had painted the aircraft in the last decade," but she refused to name the company, as this was not Boeing policy.

Boeing was checking through its records to determine which other airlines might have had their aircraft painted at the facility so that they could also be checked.

Ryanair said that it had established with Boeing experts that 11 of its 21 737-200s had "passed through this FLS Aerospace paintshop in the UK during the relevant period." Two of the 11 "appear not to be affected", while five "appear to be affected" and the remaining four were still to be inspected during routine maintenance.

It said it had implemented the recommended Boeing inspection programme to examine the aircraft in detail and was continuing to work closely with the aircraft maker and the Irish civil aviation authority.

Ryanair said that it had already been planning to retire seven of the 737-200s during this winter and the balance during the following 18 months. It said it might now increase the number of retirements this winter from seven to nine and also bring forward the retirement dates.

Pending the planned delivery of 15 new aircraft during the next six months from Boeing it was bringing in five aircraft on short-term leases, two 737-800s, two 737-300s and one 737-200. This would ensure that there would be no shortage of seat capacity or disruptions to its schedule.

The net cost of the actions would total about €5m ($5.7m) that would be taken as an exceptional charge in the current financial year to the end of March 2004.




Stamattina vado a VBS, magari vedo un nuovo 800!!!!

[Oli]

Ryanair is facing a bill of more than €5 million after discovering that up to nine of its aircraft may have become scratched and cracked following overhaul work in the mid-1990s, writes Emmet Oliver.

The airline said last night the damage had no safety implications. However, because of the cost of repairing the aircraft it was withdrawing them from service.

The airline will retire nine Boeing 737s earlier than originally planned and lease five new aircraft to replace them. The other aircraft will be replaced when the airline takes delivery of a new fleet of 737s. These aircraft, 15 in total, were ordered before the recent discovery.

In a statement, the airline said it became aware of scratches to the outer surface of one Boeing 737-200 aircraft some months ago and was concerned that an "inappropriate procedure" might have caused the problem.

The airline claimed the inappropriate procedure might have occurred during a full repainting of the aircraft about nine years ago by FLS Aerospace in Britain.

Together with experts from Boeing, Ryanair said it discovered this aircraft and 10 others were in the same FLS Aerospace paint shop during 1994 and 1995.

Based on a Boeing inspection programme, Ryanair claims five 737s bear "scratch marks", four others are still being inspected, while two appear undamaged.

This account was supported by a Boeing spokeswoman, who said Ryanair had tackled the issue proactively.

She said the original damage would have involved marks or scratches, but some of these developed into cracks. She said if the cracks were left unattended they might have had a safety implication.

She said sharp tools should never be used on the skin of aircraft and this was the likely cause.

However, FLS Aerospace said last night it had not been established whether it was to blame for the damage.

"FLS Aerospace believes in the highest standards of quality and safety in maintenance and is working with the aircraft manufacturer, as would be normal industry practice, to understand the nature and cause of this problem.

" Conclusions cannot be drawn at this stage as to the cause of the problem and whether it indeed relates to FLS Aerospace," the company said.