Originally Posted by
The Mr Fixit
EASA and like rule changes is just the beginning, get ready for no heavy maint in Australia.
Western Europe, Australia and USA third party heavy maintenance will be gone within the next ten years as work moves offshore (and inhouse checks will not be far behind). I read a report recently about the massive shift of 737 heavy maint to central america from the states, the US simply cannot complete. Some scary figures in the report and some very dubious practices being used by US companies to stay alive (e.g. up to 10 contract workers per supervisor) Australia is seeing the work migrate north to indonesia etc (been there and to see all the big 'western" carriers aircraft in the hangers undergoing checks is a scary sight (but don't get me started on quality of work issues)) and Western Europe has Ryanair maintenance setting up in Poland I believe and Luftanasa already in Hungary etc.
If its not the "western" high labour hourly rates (which somehow never seem to be in the workers pocket), its the other legislation that is not just killing heavy maintenance but any form of production work (e.g. i agree with health and safety acts etc but some laws make it seem the easest way to do work is not to do it at all). Appartently it is the service economy is the way of the future
