ATLANTA, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL - News) has signed a new 10-year agreement for Delta's maintenance division, Delta TechOps, to provide engine maintenance services for ABX Air, Inc.'s fleet of Boeing 767-200 aircraft, powered by General Electric CF6-80A and -80A2 engines. The agreement extends ABX Air's CF6-80A engine maintenance relationship with Delta through at least 2015 and provides opportunities for maintenance of up to 80 additional engines over the life of the agreement. Delta and ABX also recently signed 10-year agreements covering 767-200 airframe component repair and GTCP331-200 APU repair.
ABX Air, Inc. -- formerly the air cargo division of Airborne Express -- is an all-cargo airline headquartered in Wilmington, Ohio, with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft. TechOps has provided 767-200, CF6-80A and APU maintenance services to ABX since 1998.
"Extending our engine and component maintenance relationship with Delta speaks to the trust we place in the TechOps team to ensure our 767 fleet operates with the highest levels of safety and reliability," said Joe Hete, president and CEO, ABX Air. "Delta's in-depth experience in both operating and maintaining the Boeing 767 aircraft brings great value to our operation and we have been very pleased with the technical expertise, professionalism and outstanding levels of customer service Delta TechOps has delivered to our operation over the last seven years."
Said Delta TechOps Senior Vice President Tony Charaf, "We are pleased to grow our MRO business through an expanded partnership with ABX that further strengthens TechOps' position as one of the most experienced 767 maintenance providers in the world. We look forward to partnering with the people of ABX for many years to come as they grow their operation."
In addition to the service agreement, Delta also sold one 767-200 aircraft to ABX Air. The aircraft previously operated in Delta's domestic route system and is one of three 767-200 aircraft scheduled for retirement this year as part of Delta's ongoing fleet simplification program.
Delta's TechOps division, staffed by more than 8,000 maintenance professionals from around the world, provides maintenance and engineering support services for Delta's fleet of aircraft in addition to customer aircraft, engines and components. Services range from project engineering to comprehensive nose-to-tail agreements that provide complete aircraft and engine maintenance support. In the 767 category, TechOps currently maintains engines and components for a fleet of more than 120 767-200, -300, -300ER and -400 aircraft for Delta, as well as 767 aircraft for dozens of insourcing customers.
Delta Air Lines is the world's second-largest airline in terms of passengers carried and the leading U.S. carrier across the Atlantic, offering daily flights to 484 destinations in 87 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and its worldwide partners. Delta's marketing alliances allow customers to earn and redeem frequent flier miles on more than 14,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.
