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South African Airways Technical (SAAT) contracts with Pratt & Whitney

Johannesburg, 19 June 2012.

South African Airways Technical (SAAT), the leading supplier of aircraft maintenance on the African continent, today signs an agreement with Pratt and Whitney, the world leader in the design, manufacturing and servicing of aircraft engines. This contract will significantly enhance and expand SAAT’s service offering, resulting in the creation of more technical and engineering jobs.

The agreement between SAAT and Pratt & Whitney is in line with SAAT’s growth strategy to increase third party revenue and maintain its position as the leading Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) organisation on the African continent.

SAAT currently has the capability to repair and overhaul JT8 and JT9D series aircraft engines. The agreement signed today will result in further improvement of the turnaround times on engine overhauls through dedicated spares support and technical know-how, as well as alignment to industry standards.

“These engines form part of the consignment of customer engines supported by Pratt & Whitney. SAAT is pleased that Pratt & Whitney has entrusted us to perform these services on behalf of their customers,” said Musa Zwane, CEO of SAAT.

The agreement is over a 42 month (three and a half years) period, for repair and overhaul work on JT9D-7R4G2 type engines. Furthermore, this agreement has the potential to create a platform which will allow SAAT to upgrade its existing engine overhaul and supporting workshop facilities to new era jet engines.

“With SAAT entering the era of modern aircraft engine overhaul, this will result in the creation of additional jobs in the technical and engineering field as well as the development of specialised engineering processes in our workshops bringing SAAT in line with leading jet engine overhaul facilities worldwide,” added Zwane.

ENDS

About SAAT
SAAT is the sole provider of aircraft maintenance to South African Airways (SAA), the leading airline on the African continent and supplies line-maintenance to over 25 other domestic, regional and international airlines. Major maintenance is supplied to four other ongoing customers. The key strategic objective of SAA Technical is to improve its profit position, largely by increasing volume through added third-party business and putting underutilised resources to more productive use.

Project THRUST is the vehicle used to implement key initiatives that are designed to improve processes and productivity, strategic partnerships, marketing and sales, and driving a culture of service-excellence within the organisation. These initiatives will allow SAAT to position itself as a leader in the Sub-Saharan Africa MRO business.

About Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, industrial gas turbines and space propulsion systems. Pratt & Whitney reported an operating profit of $2.0 billion in 2011 on revenues of $13.4 billion. The company has approximately 36,000 employees who support more than 11,000 customers around the world. Pratt & Whitney develops game-changing technologies for the future, such as the PurePower® PW1000G engine, with patented Geared Turbofan technology, for next generation of passenger aircraft. Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners, the company's worldwide large commercial engine maintenance, repair and overhaul network, provides innovative services that delight customers around the globe. Pratt & Whitney's large commercial engines power nearly 30 percent of the world's mainline passenger aircraft fleet. The company continues to develop new engines and work with its partners in International Aero Engines and the Engine Alliance to meet airline customers' future needs.

About SAA
South African Airways (SAA) is the leading carrier in Africa, serving 26 destinations across the continent, as well as major destinations within South Africa and internationally from its Johannesburg hub. It is a member of the largest international airline network, Star Alliance. SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its four wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; AirChefs, the catering entity of SAA and South African Travel Centre (SATC). SAA CEO Siza Mzimela is the first woman to be appointed to the IATA Board of Directors in its 67 year history. SAA is the winner of the 'Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for nine consecutive years and the winner of ‘Service Excellence Africa’ for two consecutive years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on time airlines.

Further inquiries:

Dileseng Koetle
Head: Communication | Group Corporate Affairs, SAA
Tel: +27 11 978 2298
Mobile: +27 83 400 0041
Email: dilesengkoetle@flysaa.com or media@flysaa.com

or

Kabelo Ledwaba
Communications Manager (External)
Mobile: (+27) 083 414 4720
Tel: (+ 27) 011-978-2760
Email: kabeloledwaba@flysaa.com
 

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