Passenger A330 converted into MRTT by Iberia Maintenance

Iberia's MRO division converted an Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft into a Multi Role Tanker Transport equipped for mid-air refueling. The conversion is part of a contract between Iberia Maintenance and Airbus Military to convert civilian aircraft into MRTTs, and reflects IB's strategy of reorienting its maintenance business toward technologically challenging, high value-added activities, said Iberia EVP-Maintenance and Engineering Jose Luis Ruiz de Castaneda.


IB engineers and technicians spent 140,000 man hours on the conversion, modifying 5,500 system components and making structural changes to 2,000 parts. An additional 58.5 km. of wiring was installed, including 1,000 m. each of coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable.


Iberia Maintenance carried out 122 C and D checks and inspected and repaired 200 engines and 53,587 aircraft components in 2010. Last October it commissioned a new maintenance hangar at Barcelona Airport.

(Cathy Buyck - ATWOnline News)