Jet engines across the big pond
The Austrian company Ontime Logistics, which is headquartered in Salzburg, landed a new contract recently. It is providing a 48-hour service for Austrian commercial aircraft engines that it picks up at Vienna airport, flies them to the USA for a major overhaul and then returns them to their owners.
Ontime Logistics is currently busy handling a very unusual type of heavy cargo transport task. By the end of this year the freight service provider will have flown 16 commercial aeroplane engines manufactured by Fokker to the United States of America and back. The logistics company expects that about another 20 engines will be transported from Dallas TX (USA) to Vienna or from Vienna to Dallas in 2014. The managing director of Ontime Logistics, Roland Schäffner, explained the special background of the contract. «The regular service, maintenance and general overhaul of aircraft engines is only allowed to be carried out in certified service centres.»
Two criteria are particularly important for this contract, Schäffner underlined. «In the airline industry it’s important that every task is carried out quickly and efficiently. If you’re shipping components like this it’s imperative that you follow the manufacturers’ instructions – down to the smallest detail. These go beyond just the choice of suitable vehicle, specifying routes or ensuring the security of the load. It’s imperative to comply with the prescribed procedure. Failure to comply will mean that an engine cannot be re-installed at the other end and has to be sent back for re-checking and a renewed overhaul, because flight safety would otherwise not be guaranteed. We offer a 48-hour service, with many years of experience in the aviation sector and a suitable reference list.»
Ontime Logistics Spedition was founded in 2001 and is based in Salzburg. It has further offices in Linz, Vienna and Innsbruck, employing around 100 people in Austria.