Tulpar Technic launches MRO services for Superjet 100s

An IrAero’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 was the first aircraft of the type to arrive for maintenance in Kazan (Photo by Alex Snow / Wikipedia)

Kazan-based Tulpar Technic has announced it started to provide maintenance services to the Russian regional Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ 100). The first aircraft of the type that has come to Kazan to undergo the maintenance checks is a SSJ 100 of IrAero airline.

The maintenance procedures, particularly the C-check, started last week, on October 11, general director of Tulpar Technic Vyacheslav Dunin told the Russian Aviation Insider. As for the timescales, “there are some things that we cannot influence”, Dunin says. “The first production aircraft contain parts that can be upgraded by the manufacturer, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, only. We cooperate and send them uninstalled equipment for improvements. Particularly, the SSJ 100 under consideration will need aileron improvement, which might take about two weeks. By the time the ailerons are delivered back and installed, we will finalize all required maintenance services,” the company head adds.

The Russian MRO provider has signed a framework maintenance service agreement with IrAero. Besides, it has a letter of intent signed with another SSJ 100 operator — Gazpromavia and a framework agreement with Yamal carrier. As previously reported, Tulpar Technic now has protocols of intent for about 30 SSJ 100s.

Tulpar announced it had acquired approval for all types of scheduled and line maintenance services last month. It is expected now that SSJ 100 maintenance operations will soon become one of the company’s key priorities.

Currently, Tulpar Technic rents a 48 x 96 meter hangar in Kazan with a commercial section big enough to accommodate a SSJ 100, a Bombardier CRJ and a helicopter  with the nearby territory of 3,000 square meters. However, the company plans to grow its production capacities in future. “We have been considering a construction of two more hangars for quite a while now and we have been granted support for that from the venture’s shareholders. We are negotiating the building lots for new hangars while all papers from our side are signed and technical specification are defined. The airport will provide us with the construction lots shortly, right after that we will continue to harmonize our technical capabilities. Our modest and yet bold ambitions are to start the construction works in April next year. The size of the hangars will be 60 х 120 m and 156 х 72 m”, Dunin explained.

Moreover, the company’s head underlines Tulpar does not only develop the interior base but is also looking into its own MRO network. It established a line maintenance station in Simferopol in 2015 and other one in Bryansk this year.

Tulpar Technic’s estimated average monthly workload is reported to be 12,000-15,000 standard hours. The company managed to increase production by 30% during the last three years. Today the number of its employees reached 220.