Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

StandardAero’s business is reshaping with the company's recent acquisition of Vector Aerospace, a move that created a combined organization that produces $3 billion annual revenues and fields a work force of 6,000 employees across 42 locations worldwide, including Singapore. At the same time though, StandardAero (Stand T130) is shedding other operations; it recently closed Associated Air Center, which had been a pioneer in VIP airliner completions, and plans to close its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) business aircraft and engine MRO facility in California.

 


StandardAero acquired MRO specialist Vector Aerospace from Airbus in early November. Terms of that deal were not disclosed, but Airbus, formerly EADS, had acquired Vector in 2011 for $625 million.

 


The acquisition brought to StandardAero an entity that generated $700 million in revenues in 2016 and employed 2,200 workers in 22 locations across Canada, the U.S., the UK, France, Kenya, South Africa, Australia, and Singapore.

 


“Our combined organizations are better positioned to provide the industry with more global services, expanded MRO capabilities, and operational benefits to deliver faster, higher quality solutions to our combined customers worldwide,” said StandardAero CEO Russell Ford.

 


This acquisition expands StandardAero’s capabilities on Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PT6 and PW100 turboprop engines and significantly extends its reach in the civilian and military helicopter-engine MRO market, including on the M250, PT6T, Arriel 1 and 2, T58/CT58, and T700/CT7 engines, Ford said. “Vector also brings along new helicopter airframe and components services/support aligned with major OEMs like Boeing, Sikorsky, Airbus Helicopters, and Bell Helicopter.”

 


This was the second major StandardAero purchase since March, when it announced plans to acquire PAS Technologies, a support services company for the oil-and-gas sector, industrial-gas-turbine, and aerospace markets. While StandardAero is substantially boosting its MRO and support capabilities, the company also is shrinking in the completions arena with the decision to shutter its VIP completions specialist Associated Air Center at the end of 2017, just shy of its 70th anniversary. StandardAero said current and future volumes of work aren’t sufficient to support the costs necessary to run the facility. StandardAero made “multiple attempts to sell the business” before coming to the decision to shutter it altogether, the company said.

 


“After a thorough analysis, StandardAero has concluded that the business case for continuing to operate AAC is no longer an economically viable option for the company and its investors,” the company said. “The limited pipeline for new business opportunities, excess industry capacity, and slowing demands in the VVIP aircraft marketplace have all contributed to this decision.” The move, StandardAero added, is in line with its near-term growth plans to expand the group’s core engine MRO capabilities.

 


StandardAero further is closing its business aviation repair station at LAX by the end of March. The company will maintain mobile aircraft service capabilities in southern California.

 


The decision to close the LAX facility came after a consultation with the company’s owners, investors, and board of directors, the company said, attributing the move to the “unexpected reduction in the number of worldwide [Honeywell] TFE731 engine events and the associated revenue and volume declines that have accompanied this trend, along with multiple unsuccessful attempts to secure a long-term lease for the LAX facility.”

 


Other factors included the decrease in demand for scheduled airframe inspection work at the airport and operators reaching out to more convenient business airports in the region.&nbsp;

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

StandardAero's Vector Acquisition Creates MRO Giant

The company is reshaping, shedding its Associated Air Center completions business, but expanding significantly worldwide with Vector.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Panel participants included Boeing, Gulfstream Aerospace, and West Star Aviation

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News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

What began 22 years ago as a Caravan project is now a busy multimillion-dollar business

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