Day two of MRO Central Asia in Astana (8 October) focused on technical solutions, sustainability and strategic development. The programme showed that the regional MRO ecosystem is being discussed as a set of concrete tasks: components, urgent repair, digital tools, end-of-life and people.
According to the presentations: — Michael Naranjo, Accountable Manager at Modern MRO, spoke about best practices for fuel system component maintenance: improving reliability and reducing unscheduled removals. — Paul Kennedy, Director of Worldwide Composite Services, presented a 24/7 global response strategy for AOG composite repairs, aimed at shortening aircraft downtime. — Peer Hashmi, CEO of 360 DMG, covered responsible aircraft disassembly, recovery of serviceable components and materials, and upcycling in his talk From Waste to Wings. — Dr Emre Serpen of TroyAvi Aviation Consultants discussed digitalisation and artificial intelligence: predictive maintenance, planning and supply-chain visibility.
The closing panel, Strategic MRO Development in Central Asia, brought together Vera Melnik (Director, Technical Materials Management, Air Astana), Semyon Aushev (Technical Director, Alpha Sky Airlines), Kaspars Podins (Chief Commercial Officer, FL Technics Wheels & Brakes) and Paul Kennedy. Topics included changes in MRO demand over the next three to five years, preparing for fleet growth, workforce and infrastructure, supply-chain resilience and component availability, the role of regulation and standards, and reducing reliance on external capacity while building regional expertise.
Our assessment: the day's topics add up to one logic. If the region is preparing for fleet growth, value shifts from hangars to components, urgent support and skilled people. This is flycentralasia's conclusion, not a statement by the participants.
For MRO providers, lessors and investors, the key question is which services (components, AOG, composites, disassembly) are worth building locally and which to access through partners.
Figures and contracts were not disclosed after the day, so the article contains no market-size estimate.