Etihad Airways Engineering has become the first organisation in the Middle East to be granted with a Part21G Production Organisation Approval (POA) by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
With the new approval
Etihad Airways Engineering is now entitled to manufacture interior parts such
as seat covers, carpets, curtains, decals and markings alongside composite and
other cabin structures and release them with a EASA Airworthiness Certificate.
This will allow installation of these parts onto aircraft registered in Europe
or in any country recognising EASA certificates, such as the UAE and many
countries in the Gulf.
Jeff Wilkinson, Chief Executive
of Etihad Airways Engineering, said: “We are pleased to offer Etihad Airways,
its equity partners and third party customers the flexibility of making cabin
parts in-house. It will offer shorter lead times and competitive modification
services as a package, in combination with our EASA Part21J Design approvals and
the testing labs operated with our partners. We remain focussed on developing our
maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities as a one-stop-facility while focusing
on new platforms and delivering the highest standards of safety and quality.
“I would like to thank the
Design, Engineering and Innovation team whose diligence, expertise and close
coordination with EASA has helped us in achieving this capability ahead of time. With the new approval, the company is now able
to offer more comprehensive, tailor-made solutions covering a wide range of
technical aspects.”
Etihad Airways Engineering is an AS9110
certified organisation and already holds EASA 145 approval, alongside EASA 21J
approval for designing and undertaking minor and major changes and repairs. The
company is the Middle East’s leading aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul
(MRO) provider.