Of course the thing vanity fair has missed is the amount of support the aircraft has while it is away, in some foreign land, being 'fixed'.
1. Its not being fixed. It's being maintained to a Scheduled Maintenance check, plus some other jobs that are convenient while it is there. Just as you would with your car. (as you would also take your car to a garage that does a decent job but cheaper than others)
2. it is not abandoned to some foreigner Joe, as the article implies, to do what they like and however they like to do it. There are airline technical reps out there with it, watching the work as it happens and ensuring that standards are right for the airline (we all say we have the same standards but we all have different requirements!)
So as always when it comes to maintenance the papers say half the story and the airlines stay quiet - but mainly because they done want the public to know that there are these little people, who are not pilots, trolley dollies or baggage handlers, working on aeroplanes.