Before heading to Tenerife and interviewing its management, we were invited by Binter to visit the main facilities of the group’s Binter Technic in its home airport of Las Palmas.
As Europe’s largest ATR operator — based in a relatively isolated area –, the airline does most, if not all, of its maintenance works in-house. As such, the structure of the group’s MRO arm is sizeable.
Binter’s main hangar has space for five ATRs at a time; as a comparison, according to Planespotters.net their fleet is currently comprised of 25 ATR 72-600 (with another two to come) and two ATR 72-500; the latter are due to leave the fleet. Then, Binter also operates five Embraer E195 E2, with another five on order. These, however, have not yet reached an age that requires heavy maintenance.
(Click the photos to see them in a larger size).
Because of the dire conditions of the Canaries — very close to the ocean in all of its home bases — the airline has to pay closer look to the condition of its aircraft, given the closeness to the salt water.
This closer look into its aircraft, Binter says, means the aircraft are more valued in the secondary market. This, in turn, becomes another incentive for the Canarian airline to replace older airplanes.
Not five minutes would pass without our guide stressing the superlatives of their ATR maintenance center: here’s the largest ATR maintenance facility in the world, here’s the largest deposit of ATR parts and so on.
The single activity Binter does not perform in its Las Palmas facility is painting; this is done in continental Europe.
And this is a busy part of the year, since Binter wants to have as many ATRs available as possible for the peak season. But when there are slots available, Binter also serves other ATR operators.
Then the largest hangar is available for Binter’s Embraer E2 fleet, for which the company is already certified. Because the Embraers are relatively new, the need for heavier checks has not arrived yet.
Back to the «main» hangar, some more details of Binter’s workhorse, the ATR 72:
