Direct Maintenance starts B747-8 line maintenance support

Following the expansion of its Scope of Work with the Airbus A380 in 2012, Direct Maintenance has commenced offering Boeing B747-8 line maintenance support.

The inaugural event took place today at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on the occasion of launch customer Cathay Pacific Cargo deploying its first B747-8F freighter service into Europe.

This first flight was operated by aircraft B-JNA, fitted with GEnx engines and displaying the smart “Hong Kong Trader” livery. A traditional water salute welcome was provided by the airport fire brigade to highlight the arrival of the “Queen of the Skies” with an amazing payload capability of 140 tons. Cathay Pacific Cargo is the world’s largest B747-8F operator, with 8 each B747-8F aircraft flying and another 5 each B747-8F’s on order, alongside a fleet of 12 each B744F’s.

According Roger Meels: “We are proud to follow our esteemed customers as they progress into the latest generation of aircraft models, carrying more payload with less environmental impact. Todays inaugural flight arrived and departed exactly on the dot, a testament for the strong teamwork between all stakeholders involved at Amsterdam. Direct Maintenance proves herewith once again to be at the forefront of the industry, having added the A380 last year and now supporting the B747-8 as well from today. We wish Cathay Pacific Cargo lots of commercial success deploying the B747-8F, growing the number of flights into Europe as more aircraft are being delivered.”