Aviation

In St. Louis, Boeing will build a 130,000 square foot Manufacturing Innovation Center.

Boeing Invests $5 Million in Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center in St. Louis

In order to help the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center in St. Louis grow, Boeing [NYSE: BA] stated it will provide $5 million to (AMICSTL). The investment will contribute to the construction of the advanced manufacturing facility, the acceleration of workforce development initiatives, and the expansion of the technical and manufacturing capacities of the region.

St. Louis-area economic development and business leaders established AMICSTL in 2020 to help build a more diversified and resilient advanced manufacturing sector in the region. The new 130,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility will house workforce development programs, leading-edge R&D, and prototyping/production capacity spanning multiple “vertical” capabilities, including aerospace, ag tech, automotive, biomedical, construction, geospatial, and logistics.

Boeing to set up 130,000 Sq ft Manufacturing Innovation Center in St. Louis

The partnership between Boeing and AMICSTL aims to turn St. Louis’ North Central Corridor into an advanced manufacturing innovation and technology hub over the course of the next decade by establishing a single central location with an expandable campus that can support the entire advanced manufacturing process from concept to production. The new building will be close to the triangle formed by the Cortex, a hub for innovation, NGA West, a new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility, and the campus of Ranken Technical College.

In addition to Boeing’s five-year investment, Boeing Phantom Works Vice President Steve Nordlund will join the AMICSTL Board of Directors. Longtime Boeing St. Louis executive Kory Mathews, who is retiring from Boeing later this year, will serve as AMICSTL’s interim CEO.

Aviation

Aeroflot Buys Used Planes for Spare Parts Amid Sanctions

In the face of ongoing Western sanctions that have severely impacted Russia’s aviation industry, Aeroflot, the country’s largest airline, has devised a strategic plan to bolster its fleet’s spare parts inventory.

The airline is set to acquire five Boeing 737-800BCF freighters from Atran Airlines, a move that will allow it to dismantle the aircraft for critical components. The planes, which will be transferred to Aeroflot’s low-cost subsidiary Pobeda, will not be converted into passenger jets but instead will be stripped for valuable parts to support existing operations.

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Aeroflot’s plan to purchase these Boeing 737-800BCF freighters comes as part of a broader strategy to mitigate the effects of Western sanctions, which have crippled the Russian aviation sector. With the sanctions restricting access to essential aircraft parts and spare components, Aeroflot is exploring alternative ways to maintain and repair its fleet.

Instead of converting the freighters from cargo to passenger planes, a process deemed “unreasonably expensive” under current sanctions, the airline intends to focus on extracting high-value components such as engines, landing gear, avionics, and other essential systems.

The deal will be structured in a way that allows Aeroflot to indirectly purchase the freighters through an insurance settlement with the aircraft’s lessor, AerCap.

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The Russian government’s insurance company will reimburse the aircraft’s value, and the planes will then be leased back to local operators. This method circumvents some of the restrictions imposed by international sanctions while ensuring that the airline gains access to the necessary components to support its fleet.

By dismantling the aircraft for spare parts, Aeroflot aims to secure critical resources for the ongoing maintenance of its existing fleet. Components from the Boeing 737-800BCF freighters, such as engines and avionics, are expected to be reused in other aircraft within Aeroflot’s network, ensuring that the airline can keep its operations running smoothly