Certified Aviation Services (CAS)

It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that only a year ago, the aerospace industry was churning out aircraft at unprecedented rates, and airlines were worried that the temporary grounding of the 737 MAX might interfere with what looked like a year of nothing but historic highs. This was until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life as we know it. COVID-19 burst the bubble that was fueled by air traffic, triggering massive cutbacks in capacity, layoffs, and order cancellations all along the supply chain. Although the airline industry has been put through the wringer, it has managed to stay afloat and is ready to emerge more efficient and integrated, along with a renewed focus on low costs and high quality. Perfectly poised to support such airlines and fleet operators in their endeavors is Certified Aviation Services (CAS)—a complete maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) services provider.

CAS is a leading provider of integrated MRO services for fleet operators, leasing companies, OEMs, and Adjusters globally. Throughout its nationwide network, CAS conducts line maintenance, modifications, installations, component overhaul, as well as heavy recovery and repairs. Each division is committed to providing customers with innovative, cost-effective solutions when and where they need it. “The airline industry has been particularly hit hard by the pandemic, and most companies are heavily downsizing their staff and inventory. The need of the hour is efficient aircraft, which provide fleet operators with an opportunity to reduce costs. We are well positioned to equip them with our premium, off-balance sheet solutions so that they get back on track and reinstate the confidence of people to travel safely,” explains Paul Oliver, President and Chief Operating Officer at CAS.

There is an imminent uptick in air travel coming along the way, and CAS is all prepared to deliver airlines with services of the highest quality.

As airlines gradually recover from the crisis, CAS is closely working with its customers to understand their needs and help them in every way to prepare for the future and navigate the challenges brought about by the pandemic. To this end, CAS has been amping up employee training, ensuring that all quality approvals are in place, and maintaining the highest possible standards of its safety management system.

From line maintenance, hangar activities, remote recoveries/ repairs, aircraft appearance to aircraft parking and storage, CAS offers a wide range of services to its customers. CAS delivers toplevel third-party line maintenance services, short-term and long-term storage programs, as well as full remote capability for aircraft-lease deliveries, returns, and transitions. In addition, the CAS Go Team is available 24/7 to provide rapid response repair services worldwide. With an undivided focus on building lasting customer relations, CAS has emerged as a partner of choice for airlines and has been serving the industry for over 30 years. As airlines continue to adjust and adapt to the changes spawned by the pandemic, CAS is improvising and widening the scope of its services to fulfill their revised needs. Oliver adds, “We strive to deliver the maximum value to customers. As such, once we’re embedded in a particular line station catering to a customer, we can make it more cost-effective for other operators to use our services at that station. This way we can increase productivity for ourselves and also lower the costs for our customer, thereby providing them with added benefits.”

As a testament to CAS’ capabilities, Oliver recalls an instance where they were able to help a lessor prepare aircraft for a ferry flight from a country in South America. “They needed to get the aircraft out but lacked the resources to make the necessary assessments and get the aircraft ready. As they did not have another customer due to the travel restrictions in place, they also needed a place to park it,” says Oliver. The problems, however, did not end there. The search for a new customer also meant that the lessor was uncertain about the upgrades that would be required in the future—it could be a cabin upgrade, paint job, or more. CAS stepped in and arranged for the aircraft to be ferry flown and parked at its fixed maintenance base at San Bernardino. The company then performed all maintenance services, including C check, cabin modifications, densification, Location of Passenger Accommodations (LOPA) modification, while also bringing in one of its partners for the paint job. With its integrated solutions approach, CAS helped the customer with a holistic solution and met all their needs.

While business revenues started to take a nosedive from April 2020, CAS focused on diversifying its revenue sources and not solely rely on airliners. The company doubled down its line maintenance efforts for cargo and fire services aircraft while also focusing on cost control. These measures have been pivotal in making 2020 a reasonably good year for CAS. With sights set on a promising future, CAS aims to expand its portfolio. “We are working to be less reliant on labor and include more value-added services. We will continue to strengthen our foothold in the defense sector with our integrated services. Our vision is to be the premier one-stop-shop solutions provider for our clients and not just a service provider. CAS is ready for the future,” concludes Oliver.