Wayne T. Price

FLORIDA TODAY

Eight wide-body 747-400s from Russia's Transaero Airlines are now parked at the MidAirUSA hangar at Melbourne International Airport.

But despite speculation, the planes' sudden appearance in Brevard County has nothing to do with the current turmoil in Russia,

The reason for the Transaero jet traffic is that MidAirUSA Inc. is now up and running and providing extensive maintenance to the aircraft in its recently opened 83,000-square-foot hangar at Melbourne International.

It's a backlog situation, said Carolina Rivas, MidAirUSA's human resources and payroll manager.

"We're hoping to stay this busy, not only with Transaero but also with new customers," said Rivas, who moved to Brevard County from Rome, New York, where MidAirUSA also has a jet maintenance operation at Griffiss International Airport.

MidAirUSA currently has 30 employees at its Melbourne International operation and is ramping up hiring for the increased Transaero work. MidAirUSA initially is looking for 40 people in fields ranging from clerks to avionics specialists to specialized aircraft mechanics.

For a while late last year it was touch and go if MidAirUSA was going to be able to meet lease terms to move in and begin working out of the new hangar. In January, however, an agreement was finalized that cleared the way for MidAirUSA to begin operations. MidAirUSA made more than $560,000 in back lease payments while Melbourne International put itself in a better position to take control of the facility in the event MidAirUSA can't meet future financial obligations.

MidAirUSA now is paying $91,000 a month for the hangar with a lease that runs through 2054.

That's key for the airport because there appears to be considerable interest in that hangar by other aviation entities, as well as the possibility of building similar-sized hangars in the future for large jet maintenance at Melbourne International.

Greg Donovan, Melbourne International's executive director, shows off the MidAirUSA facility at least once a week to parties interested in bringing large jet maintenance work to the airport.

"This hangar will never be empty," said Lori Booker, a spokesman for Melbourne International. "This location is a great location."

Last week the eighth Transaero 747-400 taxied next to the MidAirUSA hangar as five U.S. custom agents walked up to give a first inspection of the aircraft. There's no telling when that particular aircraft will be carefully maneuvered into the hangar for the inspections to begin.

Depending on the jet, the FAA requires different levels of maintenance, for aircraft flying into or out of United States. Some levels require check-ups and inspections that may take a few weeks. Other aircraft could involve work taking up to three months.

MidAirUSA and Melbourne International are in a good position in that it has considerable aviation and aerospace talent to draw from but also because it's a shorter flight to Melbourne than Asia, where some European airlines are forced to go for the maintenance and overhaul.

"There are more jets than there are spaces for heavy jet maintenance," said Terry Wachtel, MidAirUSA's chief inspector.

Booker said two foreign companies are seriously looking at establishing a jet maintenance operation at the airport but she wouldn't get any more specific.

Contact Price at 321-242-3658 or wprice@floridatoday.com.





About Transaero

Transaero operates scheduled and charter service, based mainly out of Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport and the Russian city of St. Petersburg. It serves about 150 destinations, including Miami and New York. The airline operates about 100 aircraft, including 20 747-400s.