SOUTH AFRICA – Rolls-Royce and Airlink have signed a TotalCare service agreement for the AE3007 engines that power the South African airline’s fleet of Embraer ERJ135 aircraft.
The agreement, which covers 28 aircraft, is an extension of service for a further 10 years, continuing the airline’s drive to maximize aircraft availability.
Airlink CEO, Rodger Foster, said: “Airlink and Rolls-Royce have worked hand in hand since the introduction of the ERJ135 to our fleet in May 2001. We operate 28 ERJs with a pool of 64 AE3007-A1/3 engines. We are proud of the phenomenal reliability we have achieved from these engines which have underpinned Airlink’s industry-leading on-time performance, which has consistently been above 97%.”
“Our TotalCare service agreement has been key to the management of engine maintenance costs and to ensuring the economic sustainability of the ERJ135 type for the foreseeable future. We are delighted at the dependability of the Rolls-Royce team and their engines,” added Foster.
In 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Airlink carried more than 2 million customers on more than 63,000 flights.
Airlink currently operates a reduced route network to more than 45 destinations in 12 African countries, whilst remaining agile to the effects of Covid-19 and associated travel restrictions.
Airlink was proudly the most punctual South African airline for 2020; its year-to-date performance up to August 2021 has been 98.1% on time.
“Our partnership with Airlink goes back to 2001 and this TotalCare extension is a testament to our strong working relationship and mutual trust of one another,” said Stewart Evans, Rolls-Royce, vice president, customers Europe Middle East & Africa.
“I’m especially proud of the way both teams have worked closely together during the pandemic to manage maintenance costs effectively for both parties whilst enhancing our service offering at the same time. The entire team at Rolls-Royce is honored to be able to serve Airlink and their customers for many more years to come.”
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