$200 million component maintenance from jetblue

[mrlupin]

ACTS secures USD$200 million component maintenance agreement for JetBlue Airways

MONTREAL, April 25 /CNW Telbec/ - ACTS (Air Canada Technical Services)

today announced that it has secured a ten year agreement for component

maintenance support of JetBlue's Airbus A320 fleet. The agreement,

representing an estimated value of USD$200 million over its lifetime, is the

largest component maintenance contract for ACTS, a unit of ACE Aviation

Holdings Inc. ACTS will provide two-thirds of the total component maintenance

services for JetBlue's current fleet of 89 Airbus A320 aircraft, which is

expected to grow to 183 aircraft by 2011. Work will be performed at ACTS's

Montreal components facility. This agreement builds on ACTS's A320 airframe

maintenance business relationship with JetBlue which has been in place since

August 2003.

"We are delighted to announce the strengthening of our business

partnership with JetBlue," said ACTS President and Chief Executive Officer,

Chahram Bolouri. "JetBlue is one of the world's premiere low cost airlines,

and we appreciate the ongoing confidence they have shown in us as maintenance

providers. A major new contract such as this, together with the extension of

our existing relationship with JetBlue, reflects ACTS's commitment to

providing quality service and technical expertise in a number of fleet types

including the Airbus A320 family."

"ACTS continues to play a key role in helping us meet our growing

operational and maintenance requirements," said Dave Ramage, Vice President,

Technical Operations, JetBlue. "We look forward to an ongoing partnership with

ACTS for many years to come."

Headquartered in New York, JetBlue is a major U.S. low cost carrier

serving 35 destinations with more than 430 daily flights.

Air Canada Technical Services, a limited partnership of ACE Aviation

Holdings Inc. is a full-service Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)

organization that provides airframe, engine and component maintenance and

specialized services to a wide range of more than 100 global customers,

including Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, US Airways,

United Airlines, ABX, Mexicana, Snecma Services, Chromalloy, Lufthansa

Technik, International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) and Canada's

Department of National Defence. Montreal-based ACTS operates maintenance

centers across Canada with a combined workforce of 4,100 employees and has

major bases in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.