Last week, Delta TechOps exhibited at the 29th annual Aviation Week MRO Americas conference in Chicago alongside thousands of aviation industry peers. MRO Americas is the leading aviation maintenance conference in the industry and garnered a record 17,000 attendees this year.  

Ahead of the conference, Delta TechOps was named “Best Total Solutions Provider” by The145 in their 2024 Top Shop Awards. Finalists in the category included AirFrance/KLM E&M, Ethiopian MRO, FL Technics, Lufthansa Technik, Turkish Airlines Technik and United TechOps. Winners for the Top Shop Awards are nominated and selected by their peers. Top Shop Awards recognize companies that deliver results a cut above the rest, excellent customer service and superior workmanship.   

“This award is a testament to Delta TechOps’ industry-leading MRO capabilities and the unmatched service our mechanics and engineers provide to our MRO customer base,” said Basil Papayoti – Vice President, Commercial MRO.  

As the conference kicked off, former Delta TechOps S.V.P. Don Mitacek was honored by Aviation Week Network with the 2024 MRO Lifetime Achievement Award. Don was recognized for his extraordinary contributions to Delta and the industry along with Earl Exum, former V.P. of Mature Commercial Engines of Pratt & Whitney, who was honored posthumously.  

“I’ve been really fortunate and blessed to work with amazing mentors, technicians and engineers throughout my career, so this award really isn’t for me, it’s for all of the great people I got to work with,” Mitacek said.  

Throughout the week, Delta TechOps leaders took the stage alongside other industry experts: 

• The Cutting Edge: Leading the Evolution of GenAI and Predictive Mx: In a panel discussion with leaders from Airbus, Boeing, United Airlines and McKinsey & Co., Mike McBride – V.P., Maintenance Operations, spoke about the future of predictive maintenance capabilities with the advancement of technology in the maintenance industry. 

• Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges in the Engines Market: Ann Ni – Managing Director, TechOps Supply Chain, joined peers from AAR Corp., Lufthansa Technik and Standard Aero to outline the realities of supply chain obstacles currently facing the engines aftermarket. 

• A4A + EMMC Airline Panel: As a member of Airlines for Americas’ Engineering, Maintenance and Material Council (EMMC), Robert Cooney – Director, Fleet Engineering, spoke with UPS, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and FedEx Express leaders on how the EMMC is working to shape the future of airline engineering and maintenance. 

• AI Revolution: Unleashing EMX Vision for Unprecedented Efficiency: In a hosted panel discussion, Rick Uber – Managing Director, Airframe Maintenance, talked with leaders from American Airlines, Empower MX, Embraer and Joramco about the impact of the EMX Vision AI module, which integrates AI into maintenance planning and execution. 

• Predictive Analytics for Engine Maintenance Cost Control: On the GoLive! stage, Kristen Seals – General Manager, Engine Operations, highlighted Delta’s advancements in Engine Maintenance and shared details about Delta’s APEX program, which was recently honored with an AWN Grand Laureate Award. 

Awards & Recognition

AWN recognizes innovative, transformative engine maintenance operation at Delta TechOps

Aviation Week’s Laureate Award is given to industry leaders in aerospace and aviation in five categories, with a grand laureate awarded in each category to the nominee whose project most embodies the trailblazing spirit of innovation and transformation.

Next year, Delta TechOps is excited for MRO Americas to return to Atlanta for the 2025 conference. Not only will next year’s event coincide with Delta’s centennial celebration, it will also mark 25 years of Delta TechOps officially operating as a third-party MRO business. 

Learn more about Delta TechOps’ MRO capabilities and services at deltatechops.com.