SAEI adds another deal to its collaborative MRO Village vision

For SAEI it is all about collaboration. According to the CEO of the Jeddah-based operation, Capt. Fahd Cynndy, Covid taught us a lot about working together.

“To come in and say, I'm going to have a competitive advantage to win customer, A or Customer B, we insinuate indirectly, that we're isolating the rest of the industry and the immediate region and we're going into a competition. But we need to collaborate, not compete, when it comes to quality, safety, but also precious resources will all come in after COVID, Everyone is exhausted, the whole global economic system is exhausted, aviation is exhausted, we want to get back to reliability, we want to get people back up in the air, we want to get airlines flying.

“Many people have left the workforce over COVID and they're not going to come back,” Cynndy said. “It could take us a decade to recover. What can we do to tap into one another's resources? If we operate in the idea that this is mutually exclusive, I win, you lose, we will never be able to tap into it. And the worst thing that could happen to the industry is the exit of major players. Like we've seen airlines fold. It's not good for them. Alitalia that's not good for the industry; Airberlin? That's not good for the industry. We want growth, but it has to be sustainable.”

Cynndy is leading the SAEI on its massive expansion plan to build the region’s largest MRO hub with an engine test cell that can handle any size engine in the world today. It has a special focus on the GE90.

The Jet Propulsion Center (JPC) sits at the heart of what it has called an MRO Village, although close to a million square metres, it could be better described as an MRO small town.

Key to it working is the partnerships and collaboration agreements with the technical supply chain, the OEMs and other MRO centres of expertise.

At the MRO Middle East show in Dubai today, Cynndy added another collaborator to the project.

SAEI and Liebherr-Aerospace have intensified their collaboration, renewing their current component service agreement and signing a new general term agreement for heat exchanger services.

SAEI will have the in-house capabilities to handle heat exchanger tests or cleaning on behalf of Liebherr-Aerospace for all equipment operated in the Middle East region. This collaboration progresses SAEI’s active commitment to localisation and nurturing the best possible environment for aviation to thrive in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia and the MENA region. Creating access for airlines to receive these services locally delivers the dual benefits of reduced turn-around times and streamlined logistics.

SAEI will become the regional hub for Liebherr: handling A320 fleet family (A320/A321) heat exchanger and sub-components; establish a new shop at SAEI with advanced capability and perform cleaning, testing, and minor repairs at the SAEI facility for Saudia and other Liebherr customers in the region. 

“The establishment of heat exchanger capabilities, in accordance with OEM standards, provides SAEI with an opportunity to elevate the provision of service and add greater value. The ability to perform heat exchanger services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provides an opportunity for airlines in the Middle East region to receive services locally, and benefit from the reduced turn-around time,” Cynndy said.