The maintenance team at ABS Jets, business jet operator headquartered in Prague, has just completed the second 192-month/16-year inspection on a managed Embraer Legacy 600. The inspection began during the COVID lockdown and was finalised on time despite quarantine measures.

The aircraft was delivered directly from Brazil by ABS Jets' pilots in 2004 and has been maintained exclusively at the ABS facility ever since. The typically demanding maintenance inspection took six weeks to complete. Maintenance checks of this type generally reveal various technical findings. Corrosion is a typical problem and one of the most serious detected during heavy C-Checks.

“The key to an aircraft's exceptional technical condition is proper parking and hangarage, predictive maintenance planning and day-to-day care provided by line maintenance,” says Stanislav Kucera, continuing airworthiness manager. “This quadruple C-Check proved to be extraordinary in that insignificant corrosion was found, but the circumstances associated with COVID-19 made the replacement parts delivery process very challenging. However, the team did obtain all the crucial parts on time.”

Maintenance on the aircraft was conducted with strict hygiene protocols. The technicians assigned to the project were required to continuously wear respirators and contact with each other and the public was strictly limited. The company arranged special transportation for its technicians so they could avoid public areas while they worked. The greatest challenge was the final test flight, since the pilots were required to undergo mandatory quarantine after arriving from abroad.

Maintenance work also included a freshly-painted aircraft livery applied by IAC at Ostrava airport.