JOHANNESBURG - Rolls-Royce and South African Airways Technical opened Rolls-Royce’s first lease engine storage facility in Africa.
Present at the opening was the United Kingdom’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, Emma Wade-Smith and the Acting Deputy Director General at the South African Department of Trade and Industry Thandi Pele.
The facility located at the SAAT site at Johannesburg’s Oliver Tambo International Airport has the capacity to store a full range of Rolls-Royce engine types.
The engine types stored at the airport can meet the requirements of airline and business jet customers that are based or operating in Africa.
The automobile maker is also providing technical training to SAAT staff so they can conduct work on engines in storage.
The shared vision is that SAAT mechanics will be to perform performing a variety of inspection and on-wing services to Rolls-Royce customers in Africa.
The Vice President Customers Africa for Rolls-Royce Kevin Evans said, "The opening of this facility marks the start of a journey that will see SAAT play an expanding role in our development of availability services across Africa as it increases its capacity".
He added that they have been working with South African Airways for a number of years and are happy to be working with them on this initiative.
The Acting chief executive of SAAT Wellington Nyuswa said, "This agreement enables us to demonstrate our capabilities to Rolls-Royce, with whom we’ve had a long-standing relationship as well as to other outside parties".
"The dti, through its agreement with Rolls-Royce in the National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP), has forged a partnership that will yield mutual benefits over the next few years," said Thandi Phele the Acting Deputy Director General of the South African Department of Trade and Industry.
She added that through this project, South African Airways Technical (SAAT) will get critical technical training from Rolls-Royce that will allow them to support Rolls-Royce customers.
This facility has the authorisation to store engines that covers the needs of Rolls-Royce’s African customers.