10/28/98
AirLiance Kicks off with Open House

A New Major Supplier of Materials to Air Transport Industry

Des Plaines, IL (October 28, 1998) - AirLiance Materials, the joint company formed by United Airlines, Air Canada and Lufthansa Technik, marked its "take-off" with an Open House.

The Open House was held at the company¼s functioning headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois. The company plans to move to its permanent headquarters and main warehouse facility on airport property by mid 1999.

Customers, airline industry executives, and community leaders attended the event. Highlight of the evening was a speech by Mary Rose Loney, Commissioner, Department of Aviation, Chicago O¼Hare International Airport.

AirLiance Materials pools the inventories of its partner airlines, buying and selling materials for its partners, other airline customers and maintenance organizations throughout the world. The Company reduces the costs and the complexity of obtaining high quality parts by providing access to the world¼s largest inventory of previously owned parts for engines and airframes. Since AirLiance Materials¼ partners currently fly and operationally support virtually every modern passenger aircraft type commonly in use today, the Company can quickly provide parts for an unusually wide range of aircraft, including the latest types.

"AirLiance Materials is already one of the world¼s top three aftermarket material suppliers in terms of revenues," David Sisson, President and CEO, said. "We are aggressively accepting inventory, and have a goal of over 100 employees by the end of this year."

AirLiance Materials supports the world¼s air transport customers with material sales, consignment sales, purchasing services, distribution services, repair management, and engineering support.

"We are putting major emphasis on parts quality and traceability," Sisson noted. "Since all parts come from airline inventory, they are traceable to the previous FAR 121 operators. With assured quality, pre-owned materials become an exceptionally effective alternative to buying new spares from the manufacturers."

The Company has made substantial investments in advanced business and logistics systems. An internal sales force and purchasing team is made up of industry professionals with extensive hands-on market experience. A network of field representatives and regional sales offices is strategically located around the world.

The Company¼s present 180,000 sq ft warehouse and office facility in Des Plaines operates 24 hours a day, seven day a week. Customer support programs include same-day shipping, just-in-time delivery and AOG deliveries.

"AirLiance Materials has been established by airlines, for airlines," Sisson said. "United, Air Canada and Lufthansa are widely recognized as major world airlines with impressive records for safety, quality, technical expertise and experience. With their backing, AirLiance Materials is positioned to rapidly become a leader in the airline material trading market."

For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact Michael King, King Group Public Relations, telephone: 805-462-3000, fax: 805-462-3002, email: mking@kinggroup.com.

back to current news -->