ATLANTA, April 17, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines' TechOps division has been selected by the Boeing Company and is now eligible, under interim contractor support, to provide commercial aircraft parts, inventory exchange, and component repair for the KC-767 Advanced Tanker if Boeing is awarded the U.S. Air Force KC-X Tanker contract later this year. Delta TechOps also is eligible to provide assistance in developing further maintenance capabilities.
Boeing and its Global Tanker Team submitted a proposal on April 10 for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) KC-135 Tanker Replacement Program. A contract award for 179 new tankers is expected in October.
Delta TechOps has been selected to join the Boeing team because its supply chain services provide a high quality-low cost solution and its maintenance, repair and overhaul services bring additional efficiencies to the program thanks to an intimate knowledge of 767 aircraft maintenance.
Delta operates an all-Boeing fleet of 440 aircraft, including one of the world's largest commercial fleet of 767s with 104 767-type aircraft currently in service.
"We are pleased to be selected by Boeing to provide support for the KC-767 Advanced Tanker fleet," said Tony Charaf, Delta's senior vice president of Technical Operations. "As one of the largest operators and supporters of the Boeing 767 fleet, Delta TechOps is perfectly positioned to support the team with knowledge, engine and component overhaul expertise, on-site flight testing and management of inventory supply.
"The team they have assembled is world class and Delta's expertise and people are the right fit for this effort," Charaf continued.
Added Mark McGraw, Boeing's vice president for Tanker Programs: "Supporting the most advanced tanker ever created will be critical to the program's success and Delta TechOps is a perfect choice for that role. They know the 767 fleet very well and bring a valuable expertise as the newest member of our supplier team."
"Delta is clearly a great choice for this effort based on its successful history of maintaining and providing logistics support for the Boeing 767 aircraft," said U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. "The KC-X program is the Air Force's number one acquisition priority, and I am pleased that Boeing has chosen a Georgia-based company with a proven track record as one of its key partners."
This deal would add to Delta TechOps' current work for Boeing and the U.S. Air Force for the C-40 program, which has been in place since 2001. The KC-767 also would complement Delta TechOps' growing list of support capabilities, which already includes fleet management competencies on Boeing 737, 757 and 767 aircraft.
Delta TechOps is the largest airline MRO in North America, earning more than $312 million in revenue in 2006. In addition to providing maintenance and engineering support for Delta's fleet of 440 aircraft, Delta TechOps serves more than 100 aviation and airline customers from around the world, specializing in high-skill work like engines, components, base and line maintenance. Delta TechOps employs more than 6,500 maintenance professionals and is one of the most experienced MRO providers in the world with more than seven decades of aviation expertise.
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