CHEP Aerospace Solutions has signed a long-term agreement with Singapore Airlines Cargo to maintain and repair the carrier’s unit load device (ULD) fleet. The deal marks the last major development before CHEP is taken over by EQT Infrastructure II, a Swedish investment fund. CHEP Aerospace Solutions president, Ludwig Bertsch, said that the takeover would be complete “within the next few weeks.”
Per the terms of the deal, CHEP will provide maintenance and repair services in Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Brussels, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas, with additional repair taking place within its global repair network.
In addition to ULD maintenance and repair services, CHEP will provide storage, control, inventory reporting and delivery for air cargo equipment. Singapore Airlines Cargo will run CHEP’s proprietary repair management software, called ACTIS, which provides real-time oversight of equipment status and repair processes.
“Our new five-year agreement with Singapore Airlines Cargo further strengthens the maintenance and repair division of our business and increases our participation in the Asia Pacific region,” Bertsch said. CHEP has a ULD management agreement in place with Cathay Pacific Airways, as well as MRO agreements with Qantas, Air New Zealand and other carriers.
Currently, CHEP owns and manages approximately 100,000 ULDs, and has contracts with more than 90 airlines across its network of 48 services centers and 420 airports.