Category: Commercial

Madison Heights, MI Clinton (Clint) Reilmann joined Wall Colmonoy in August 2024 as Chief Financial Officer with extensive experience in finance, accounting, compliance, and operational excellence in the manufacturing industry.

Most recently, Clint spent 7 years as the Leonardo DRS Land Systems business unit CFO prior to working at Wall Colmonoy. He has held roles of increasing responsibility in his 25 years of experience. Clint is also a proud veteran of the United States Army, the Illinois National Guard, and the United States Army Reserve.

At Wall Colmonoy, Clint will work closely with management of all domestic divisions – Alloy Products, Oklahoma City, Aerobraze Cincinnati, and Franklin Precision Castings, to drive profitable sales growth through ongoing development and refinement of their respective business strategies and tactical programs.

Clint states, “I’m excited to be part of a team that values both innovation and people, and I’m looking forward to helping shape strategies that strengthen performance and deliver value across the business. With a focus on collaboration and continuous improvement, I believe we can unlock new opportunities for growth and operational excellence.”

Clint has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Millikin University, an MBA (Financial Management focus) from Illinois State University, and a Certificate of Business Excellence (CFO Program) from Columbia Business School.

ST Engineering today announced that its Commercial Aerospace business has secured a five-year maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) contract with Air Cairo, a new customer, to support the LEAP-1A engines that power its Airbus A320neo fleet. Under this contract, ST Engineering will provide quick-turn repair and Performance Restoration Shop Visit (PRSV) services at its engine MRO facility in Singapore. The first engine is expected to be inducted in mid-2025.

Captain Ahmed Shanan, Chairman and CEO of Air Cairo, said, “We are pleased to form a partnership with ST Engineering, the globally recognised leader in engine overhaul, to support the maintenance of the LEAP-1A engines powering our Airbus A320neo. This agreement underscores our commitment to operational excellence, reliability and the highest standards of safety for our growing fleet.”

“As Air Cairo continues to expand its network and modernise its operations, having a trusted and experienced engine MRO provider like ST Engineering ensures that our engines receive world-class maintenance, minimising downtime and optimising performance. This collaboration will play a key role in supporting our mission to deliver seamless and efficient air travel for our passengers across the region. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with ST Engineering as we continue to strengthen our fleet capabilities and enhance our service offerings in the competitive aviation market.”

Tay Eng Guan, Head of Engine Services at ST Engineering, said, “This latest contract demonstrates increasing confidence in our expertise as a Premier MRO provider for the LEAP engines, while marking another significant step in expanding our LEAP engine support for Middle Eastern operators. As we continue to grow our LEAP engine MRO capacity and parts repair capabilities, we look forward to supporting Air Cairo – and more operators in the region – with high-quality, value-added LEAP engine services.”

ST Engineering is the first independent MRO provider in Asia to be designated a Premier MRO provider in CFM International’s LEAP open MRO ecosystem. It achieved testing capabilities for the LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines at its Singapore facility in 2024, and is currently expanding its capabilities to include PRSV and full MRO services to better support airlines’ growing LEAP engine maintenance demands.

DTX Group announced its official launch, marking a strategic evolution in the global aerospace sector. This milestone coincides with Hussein Lookmanjee’s full divestment from Drayton Aerospace, with his remaining equity acquired by Lion Capital. This move enables Lookmanjee to fully commit his efforts and resources to the international growth and leadership of DTX Group.

In 2019, Drayton Aerospace defined two parallel strategic paths: a regional focused business led by local management, and an international division under the leadership of Hussein Lookmanjee. Recognizing Lookmanjee’s strengths in launching greenfield operations, the board tasked him with leading international operations, while localizing leadership of its China operations by appointing Hong Qi Ye as the China president, in 2020 and later in 2021, Steven Young as CEO of Drayton Aerospace.

While Lion Capital has assumed the controlling interest of Drayton Aerospace’s China-based operations; along with eight other Chinese partners, all non-China Drayton entities — including the Brazil-based MRO companies and global support units—are now part of the DTX Group and remain under the sole ownership of Hussein Lookmanjee. This structural realignment reflects the differing strategic priorities between the China-focused shareholders and the internationally driven DTX team.

Over the last six years, Lookmanjee and his senior team have built a global platform — opening new maintenance facilities, launching a parts distribution business, and expanding into key markets such as South America and the Middle East. Under his leadership Drayton Aerospace has become a leading independent player in the civil, freight aviation MRO markets.

“Now is the right time for this transition,” said Hussein Lookmanjee. “DTX Group has evolved into a globally competitive business that merits dedicated focus. This move enables us to pursue our original international vision with greater clarity and autonomy. We plan to fully invest the proceeds from the Drayton divestment into strategic growth opportunities, including three exciting acquisitions slated for completion before year’s end.”

Although DTX Group’s international strategy experienced temporary delays during the COVID-19 pandemic, momentum has since resumed. Formally established in September 2024, DTX Group is headquartered in the Middle East, with its parts trading business operating in the United States and two MRO facilities located in Brazil. The Group is on track to launch a new MRO facility in the Middle East by Q3 2025. with additional expansion targeted across Africa and Europe.

DTX Group will now operate independently to pursue global growth opportunities. Its international team — assembled and refined over several years — has been fully integrated into the organization and is well-positioned to lead the next phase of development with a clear and focused strategic vision.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has, on the 28th of May, charged Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala with fraudulent trading as part of its investigation into a company that sold airline parts for the passenger and cargo aircraft engines, the CF56 and CF6. 

Zamora Yrala, the company director, is accused of operating UK-based AOG Technics for a fraudulent purpose. The company’s customers included airlines, maintenance providers and parts suppliers. 

From 2019 to 2023 the company allegedly defrauded customers by falsifying documentation that related to the origin, status or condition of aircraft parts. 

Planes in the UK and elsewhere around the world were grounded in 2023 after the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued safety alerts to airlines that may have bought or installed AOG’s parts. 

Soon after, the SFO launched an investigation, later agreeing to conduct a joint investigation with Portuguese authorities into the supply of suspected fraudulent safety certification and parts. The Portuguese investigation is ongoing and last week authorities searched ten locations across Portugal and made three arrests with SFO officers in attendance.  

Zamora Yrala will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday 2 June 2025. 

“Planes were grounded, and significant disruption was caused, today’s charges are the outcome of a focused and fast paced investigation,” Nick Ephgrave QPM, director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), said. “I’m proud that we’ve acted swiftly, together with our Europeans partners, to bring this important case to charge in just 19 months.”

Liebherr-Aerospace will participate for the first time in Air Cargo Europe, an important exhibition and conference for the global air cargo industry. From June 2-5, 2025, the Liebherr team will showcase at booth no. 278 the Class F Cargo Conversion, a quick solution to convert passenger to freighter cargo aircraft that has been developed and certified by LHColus Technologia Ltda in São José dos Campos (Brazil). Liebherr is responsible for the global distribution of the kit, excluding Brazil, through its worldwide customer services network, which provides sales and technical support.

The Class F Cargo Conversion is implemented by means of a simple, fast, and fully reversible modification of the aircraft cabin. The ground time required to convert the aircraft in either direction is just a small fraction of a classic cargo conversion of a narrow-body aircraft.
 
After its certification by ANAC, the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency, the solution’s efficiency and reliability had been field-proven with a sizeable Embraer E190 fleet operating for over two years in Latin America. More than 20,000 flight hours have been already accumulated and over 16 million packages equivalent to 35,000 tons of payload have been transported. The solution is currently being certified by the FAA, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, for Embraer E190 aircraft and can be extended to other single aisle aircraft types.

“We are excited about our participation in Air Cargo Europe 2025 to showcase such an easy, fully reversible and cost-effective solution and discuss upcoming business opportunities,” commented Joël Cadaux, director business and services of Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS.

flydocs, the aviation global leader in digital records, asset management, and engineering services, has signed a five-year agreement with Sunclass Airlines, the Nordic’s largest charter airline to provide market-leading Digital Records Management (DRM) and Lifecycle Asset Management (LAM) solutions, enhancing the airline’s operational efficiency and fleet management capabilities.

By integrating both DRM and LAM, Sunclass will not only streamline and digitize its technical records processes but also gain real-time visibility of whether its assets meet lease return conditions. This consolidated view of fleet-wide lease return events can support Sunclass in aligning asset management strategies with engineering priorities and making smarter decisions on maintenance planning, cost avoidance and reducing risk during aircraft transitions, supported by predictive analytics and scenario modelling.

This new partnership complements the airline’s existing partnerships with flydocs’ Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem partners AMOS, the leading maintenance and engineering (M&E) software. Together, the Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem provides a holistic approach to airline maintenance and technical operations, creating a powerful synergy that will empower Sunclass to streamline its operations across the tech ops value chain.

“We are proud to partner with Sunclass Airlines to enhance the customer experience through digital transformation,” said Andy Smith, chief commercial officer, flydocs. “DRM will seamlessly integrate with AMOS to ensure compliance-ready digital records, while our LAM software provides a single source of truth to reduce re-delivery risk, improve transparency on component status vs lease return conditions, and enable smarter maintenance planning for revenue optimization. This collaboration within our Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem reflects our commitment to quality, excellence and customer-centric solutions.”

Martin Hodgkinson, director of fleet & technical strategy, Sunclass Airlines added, “Propelled by a commitment to innovation, we are pleased to collaborate with flydocs, to enhance our digital capabilities. Their commitment to market-leading solutions will transition us from using non-specialized storage tools to a dedicated records management solution. We’re also excited to be one of the first users of flydocs LAM solution, helping us to transform our approach to asset management across the aircraft lifecycle. flydocs excellent track record and expertise align with our aviation roadmap marking a significant period in our transformation strategy.”

Swiss AviationSoftware (Swiss-AS) is pleased to announce that STARLUX Airlines, a premium full-service carrier based in Taiwan, has signed an agreement to implement AMOS. With AMOS, the airline will be focusing on the management of technical documentation related to task cards. 

To support its digital maintenance strategy, STARLUX has chosen Swiss-AS hosting services, ensuring a secure and fully managed system environment. The AMOS implementation will cover 50 users and is scheduled to be completed within six months, with the go-live planned for late summer 2025.

AMOS will enable STARLUX to streamline its documentation workflows, improve cross-functional collaboration, and support regulatory compliance. The solution is expected to bring long-term operational benefits by aligning with the airline’s commitment to innovation and service excellence.

Founded in May 2018 and headquartered in Taipei, STARLUX Airlines launched operations in January 2020. Known for its modern fleet and premium service offering, the airline continues to expand its footprint in both regional and international markets.

“To enhance maintenance management efficiency and reduce the risk of human error, STARLUX Airlines has officially adopted the AMOS system,” says project team, engineering & maintenance division of Starlux. “By leveraging this industry-leading Maintenance Information System (MIS), we aim to streamline our current task card creation processes. Additionally, the system will enable structured management of our Aircraft Maintenance Program (AMP) and OEM documents, supporting greater operational accuracy and effectiveness.”

The teams at STARLUX and Swiss-AS are working closely together to make sure the AMOS implementation runs smoothly and stays on track. The partnership is built on a shared goal: improving day-to-day maintenance operations with the help of smart digital tools.

The partnership marks another milestone for Swiss-AS in the Asia-Pacific region and underlines AMOS’ adaptability in meeting the specific needs of modern, dynamic airlines like STARLUX.