Shannon aviation company wins contract with Canadian airline

A Clare-based aviation services company has secured a major contract to carry out installation and maintenance work for WestJet, Canada's second-largest airline.

This is the third major announcement by Shannon's Eirtech Aviation in recent months.

Earlier this year, the company confirmed it had secured a major contract to undertake work for US-based low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines.

The contract with WestJet will see Eirtech engineers install and maintain an advanced warning cabin pressurisation systems on the airline’s Boeing 737 fleet.

Cabin pressurisation is a critical element in providing a safe environment for passengers and crew at altitudes of 3,800 metres and above.

Eirtech was chosen for the contract after presenting a solution that was both time-saving and also cost-effective, enabling the fastest turn-around possible on installation and minimising down time for the fleet.

The solution, developed by Eirtech, will provide a further level of warning and awareness for flight crews by improving visual and aural annunciation in the cockpit enabling pilots to accurately and safely differentiate between take-off configuration indicators and cabin altitude pressurisation warnings.

Eirtech Aviation was founded at Shannon Airport in 1999, originally as a Lufthansa Technik Company, specialising in aircraft painting and interior refurbishment.

The company passed through a management buyout after 10 years and was renamed Eirtech Aviation. It went on to establish a new base at Dublin Airport, it has a hangar in the Czech Republic and an operation in Dubai.