APELLA

The advantages and rewards for strong leadership in the commercial aviation aftermarket are abundant. One of the catalysts driving the increased number of deals in the industry before the COVID-19 outbreak was OEMs’ piquing interest in the aftermarket and their ambitious bid to generate aftermarket revenue streams to augment their manufacturing core efforts. To unlock more revenue and secure a more significant share of this space with a more visible profit pipeline, OEMs—while directly competing with individual MROs—are in a unique position to disrupt the original maintenance program developed for each aircraft and provide everything from design to manufacture and in-service operations of an aircraft. However, despite this seemingly advantageous position, OEMs cannot match the wealth of experience in aircraft component maintenance and specialised services that MROs bring to the table. While size and pricing can be advantageous to OEMs, MROs need to focus more on the execution to differentiate themselves from OEMs and other competitors.

This is where APELLA is in a league of its own. As a privately-owned aviation MRO organisation, APELLA is challenging the industry narrative and experiencing continual growth since its inception in 1987. Founded with the vision to support local and regional airliners in their mission to offer safe and cost-effective transportation services, APELLA is now a recognised leader that aims to provide a base maintenance facility in-country that will be able to support the needs of customers in Southeast Europe. “In order to overcome the thrust from the OEMs to consolidate the aftermarket and control the playing field, APELLA focuses on execution. We strive to provide excellence in quality and consistency in execution with low turnaround times so that our customer realises immediate cost savings. Even though we are all still trying to decipher the short- and long-term effects of the pandemic in aviation, our agility in translating a need to a service offering for our customer will be key to survival,” states Dr Nikos Kontoyannis, CEO, APELLA.

At the core, APELLA specialises in aviation component maintenance, manufacturing, engineering support, and specialised services. The company’s EASA Part-145 certification covers a comprehensive capability list of components that can repair/overhaul at unparalleled turnaround times.

APELLA offers a wide range of on-aircraft maintenance services covering structural, painting, cleaning, and NDT focused towards rapid deployment to the customer’s site.

APELLA leverages its state-of-the-art equipped facilities and strategic partnerships to meet each client’s specific requirements on the manufacturing front. However, the uniqueness of APELLA stems from its highly experienced team of program managers and engineers that can offer support in the full spectrum of aviation maintenance activities ranging from aircraft and engine delivery and re-delivery inspections to airline maintenance program generation and MRO documentation development. “Our differentiating factor is our people. We have a great team on board, that spans the space in expertise, knowledge, and breadth of experiences in multiple aviation fields allowing us to be very agile in providing quality solutions to our customers. Furthermore, APELLA has managed to cultivate and maintain a family business culture which makes it easier for employees to feel empowered and cared for at the same time,” adds Nikos.

At the outset, APELLA was founded by Dr Nikos’s father, Hellenic Air Force (HAF) Lt. General (ret) Sotirios Kontoyannis, who logged more than 3500 hours on fighter aircraft such as the F-84, the F-104, the F-4, and the A-7 and much like every pilot had a passionate understanding and appreciation of flight safety. “My father’s retirement from the HAF coincided with the aviation market in Greece moving away from government control and he realised that the solutions offered to the local operators for aviation maintenance were limited. APELLA was born to offer initially component maintenance solutions such as wheels, brakes, batteries, and pressurised bottles coupled by services such as Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), and later offer on-aircraft specialised services such as structural repairs, welding, and painting,” informs Nikos. Today, APELLA, other than being an established EASA Part-145 certified MRO, is one of Lockheed Martin’s approved vendors and supports the F-16 modernisation program of the HAF, which involves the gradual upgrade of its fleet to the F-16V variant. Having built strong relationships with its partners and clients, APELLA serves multiple customers worldwide with an unwavering commitment to safety and quality.

What makes APELLA second to none is its offering spectrum created out of the necessity of the local operators. APELLA is now regarded as a dependable partner for its solid and consistent performance and one that can help every operator that seeks support to achieve its mission objectives. To illustrate more on the value APELLA empowers its customers with, Dr Nikos mentions how the company worked closely with DynCorp International to support the Multi Sensor Aerial Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (MAISR) Operations and Sustainment program of the US Army and provided Aircraft-On-the-Ground (AoG) emergency maintenance activities. This collaboration stands testimony to the quality and breadth of services that APELLA offers by combining the resources and expertise of companies from the public and private defence sectors. That’s not all; along the 34-year journey, APELLA has reached out to and served many renowned names in the industry, such as Lockheed Martin, Aegean Airlines, Olympic Air, Sky Express, and more.

Moving forward, the future is bright for APELLA—an MRO that is always on its toes to meet the need of reliable, high-quality aviation maintenance in the region.