Rising to the challenge

A complex cabin upgrade programme undertaken within an extremely compressed timescale. In July 2013, TAP, Portugal's leading airline, approached Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group regarding the upgrade of two A330s the operator was keen to lease in order to increase its long range fleet.

The upgrade was to include: a cabin reconfiguration (to a standard TAP layout to bring them into line with TAP's existing A330s, already serving long-haul routes), new seating for Economy Class, new Business Class seats (modified), a new In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system and a Lower Deck Mobile Crew Rest (LD-MCR).

An OEM had already provided TAP with an estimate for undertaking the upgrade, quoting 15 to 18 months. The operator sought a much faster turnaround though. It wanted the reconfigured aircraft in service by the end of May 2014 and, in order to keep the cost-of-ownership to a minimum, it did not want to take delivery of the two aircraft from the current operator until as late as possible.

Marshall had already demonstrated its capabilities on a time-sensitive project in 2012, which resulted in the conversion of three A340s for TAP.

The company embarked on a feasibility study for modifying the A330s. The study included supporting aircraft surveys, investigating cabin layouts/Layout Of Passenger Accommodation (LOPA) options, regulatory requirements, equipment suppliers, cost proposals and a project time line.

Upon completion of the study, an Initial Technical Coordination Meeting (ITCM) was held on 4th October 2013. It was recognised that hitting an end of May 2014 deadline would not be possible but that release-to-service in August was a realistic target. Release of the aircraft from the current operator could wait until March 2014, saving TAP considerable ownership costs but leaving only ten months for preparation and embodiment of the upgrade to both aircraft.

All ready to go!

Marshall took on project management, vendor management and engineering roles, giving priority to ordering long lead-time equipment and addressing some of the more challenging integration issues. Regarding the latter, the LD-MCR, which can accommodate up to seven crew members, was particularly challenging as LD-MCRs are traditionally selected as an option when an aircraft is ordered from new (i.e. built-to-order).

The LD-MCR occupies space in the cargo hold so, as a retrofit, required extensive surveying, investigation and research. In this respect, Marshall provided all structural cabin floor changes, introduced new access and emergency doors, seat tracks and a new ‘Y' floor beam assembly. Regarding the floor beams, their removal was quite difficult, as they had wiring harnesses and hydraulic and pneumatic pipes running through them; plus they supported the loading of the airframe.

Accordingly, the aircraft had to be suitably jigged and tressled during the installation phase of the project. All seat tracks in the locality of the floor beam modification were a mixture of new and modified items to facilitate the required provisioning for the new access door.

In addition, the LD-MCR required shipside wiring for electrical power, smoke and fire detection, emergency lighting and comms (which also had to be modified throughout the aircraft to include a crew rest call function). The addition of the LD-MCR also required connection to cabin air distribution and recirculation systems. Marshall also designed modifications to the aft cargo compartment liners and cargo handling system in light of the LD-MCR's occupancy of cargo space.

As for the new IFE, the previous Rockwell Collins seat-back system was replaced with a new audio- and video-on-demand Panasonic Avionics eXLite system. It too has seat-back screens, the installation of which was relatively easy for Economy Class (as these were new seats). For Business Class, Marshall introduced airbag lapbelts and modified the seat back surrounds to accommodate new 16” widescreen monitors and centre pedestals to accommodate new LRUs and harnesses, and interfacing with the existing Kid Systeme Seat actuation system. The company also fitted new dress covers and had the responsibility of conforming, testing and re-certifying the seats, which involved 16g sled acceleration tests to ensure they met Head Impact Criteria (HIC).

It's in the detail

Marshall supplied approved modification kits plus detailed instructions to TAP Maintenance and Engineering, in Lisbon. Installation of the upgrade commenced in the spring of 2014, with the support of Marshall on-site design engineers.

Some 250 new engineering drawings were created for the modifications, including an Engineering Order (EO) to cover the aircraft embodiment. Also, circa 3,000 part numbers were introduced by the modification, with 23,000 new individual parts installed on each aircraft.

Although a challenging project, the upgrade of the first aircraft took only 92 days to complete. The second, only 52 days. The Marshall A330 modification was approved by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) was issued, allowing return to service on 25th July 2014; approximately 10 months after the ITCM and several months less than the industry norm for an undertaking of this magnitude. In addition, Federal Aviation Administration bilateral approval is currently being sought in support of US-based supplier interests and any later aircraft re-sale.

The modification to the two off A330 adds to Marshall's portfolio of STCs, which also includes the one for four off TAP A340s, delivered in 2012, and one for seven off Iberia A340s, delivered in 2011. In addition, cabin upgrade programmes like these provide testimony to Marshall's growing presence in the commercial aerospace sector; as the company has capabilities, experiences and resources that enable it to compete for (and win) work in an extremely cost- and time-sensitive international market place.

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