Mauritania Airlines has turned to StandardAero for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) support on its CFM56-7B and LEAP-1B engines — a move that underscores the growing dependence of African carriers on global MRO networks to ensure fleet reliability.
The Nouakchott-based carrier operates a small but diverse fleet that includes six aircraft, with only two currently operational: a 737-800 and a 737 MAX 8. The airline’s 737-700, two Embraer E175s, and ERJ-145 are currently out of service.
Under the agreement, StandardAero will provide full MRO support for Mauritania Airlines’ CFM56-7B and LEAP-1B engines. Work has already begun, with the first CFM56-7B inducted at StandardAero’s Winnipeg, Manitoba, facility and a LEAP-1B engine at its San Antonio, Texas, location.
“We are truly honored to have been selected by Mauritania Airlines for its CFM56-7B and LEAP-1B engine support requirements,” said Guillaume Limouzy, Airline Sales Director for StandardAero’s Airlines and Fleet business unit. “For smaller fleet operators, responsive and timely support is critical, and we are grateful for the trust Mauritania Airlines has placed in us to meet their MRO needs.”
This partnership builds on an existing relationship, as StandardAero has previously supported Mauritania Airlines’ Embraer E175 fleet with APS 2300 auxiliary power unit (APU) repairs at its Maryville, Tennessee facility.
StandardAero, an authorized CFM International MRO provider, has serviced CFM56-7B engines since 2010 and recently expanded these capabilities to its Dallas, Texas site at DFW International Airport. For the newer LEAP family, its 810,000-square-foot San Antonio facility operates as a CFM LEAP Premier MRO center and was the first non-airline in the Americas to sign a CFM Branded Service Agreement (CBSA).
Founded in 2010, Mauritania Airlines has struggled to maintain consistent fleet operations. With only two active out of six aircraft, the airline has been forced to rely on a rotating series of short-term wet leases from European and African operators.
Since the start of the year, Mauritania Airlines has relied multiple times on leased A320s and 737-800s from operators including MedAir, AirExplore, BH Air, and Danish Air — though none remained in service for more than a few weeks. On July 14, the carrier operated a 17-year-old Airbus A321 (YL-LDY) wet-leased from SmartLynx, just days after returning another SmartLynx A320 (9H-SLJ) that flew for the airline from mid-June to early July, according to NewsAero.
The A321 was deployed on key routes linking Nouakchott with Dakar, Abidjan, Nouadhibou, Casablanca, Conakry, and Las Palmas — a skeleton network made possible only through leased capacity.
This instability has forced the airline to narrow its focus to a few core destinations. On May 1, Transport Minister Ely Ould El-Feïrik publicly acknowledged the crisis, announcing the creation of a technical task force to evaluate the airline’s condition and develop recovery measures.
Based at Nouakchott-Oumtounsy International Airport, the airline serves destinations including Bamako (Mali), Dakar (Senegal), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Tunis (Tunisia), Casablanca (Morocco), Conakry (Guinea), Gran Canaria (Spain), and domestic routes to Nouadhibou, Nema, and Zouerat.
