TAM MRO received European certification to render the services of line maintenance in four location

Sao Paulo, July 14th 2011 – (BM&FBOVESPA: TAMM4/NYSE: TAM) – TAM MRO, our business unit of maintenance repair and overhaul received the accreditation by EASA – European Aviation Safety Agency authorizing the line maintenance in Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and Fortaleza to render the services in Airbus A330-200 and A 330-300 aircrafts recorded in such continent.

Now, our MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul) is qualified to perform the aircrafts check-up and inspections (transit check, daily check, ETOPS pre-flight inspection) and corrective measures thereof.

The initials ETOPS (Extended Twin Engine Operations) express the concept of the two-engines aircraft extended operation aiming to ensure the proper reliability of the aircrafts to operate the routes without the ground support up to 180 minutes for instance, transoceanic flights.

This accreditation is part of the project started in October 2010 by TAM MRO, installed in Technological Center of the company in São Carlos, interior of São Paulo, in order to meet the demand from European operators for the line maintenance services. The project stages involved the diagnosis of adjustment to EASA requirements, definition of the action plans and actions implementation by several areas of the company involved in the project.

European aeronautical authority granted the accreditation after the audits in the lines maintenance facilities in Porto Alegre, Recife, and Salvador and Fortaleza. The first line maintenance services under EASA certification had started in Salgado Filho/Porto Alegre International Airport for a European company operating regular flights from and to Brazil.

In respect to the next stage of the project, the accreditation of the line maintenance in the following location is being requested to EASA: São Paulo/Guarulhos, Viracopos/Campinas, Rio de Janeiro/Galeão and Brasília.

“EASA Certification of our line maintenance is an important measure to enlarge the specialized services portfolio offered by TAM MRO in international market as well as the recognition of the excellence in maintenance performed at the Technological Center of São Carlos”, Ruy Amparo, TAM Operations and Maintenance Vice-President points out.

Currently, TAM MRO direct employees are approximately 1,200 people including the technicians and engineers working in maintenance center. The hangars in São Carlos have up to seven aircrafts capacity simultaneously (four medium sizes and three small sizes) for the performance of the maintenance service necessary to the aircrafts.

The shops are qualified to the maintenance service for more than 6 thousand components of Airbus, Boeing, Fokker, ATR (Avions de Transport Regional) and military aircrafts. The structure has 24 specialized shops such as: Hydraulic, Pneumatic, Avionics, ATEC, IDG, Composed Material, Landing Gear, Electroplating and Painting.

The portfolio also comprise: Training, line maintenance and GSE (Ground Support Equipment) supply, machines set repair (belts, tractors, ladders) used for the loading and unloading operations of the aircrafts in airports.