New Legacy Maintenance Package Finds Customer in 36-Aircraft Fleet

Airbus signed its first customer for their HCare Classics support package, a maintenance program aimed at safeguarding airworthiness in out-of-production aircraft from the marque. 

The customer, HeliDax, flies 36 Airbus H120 helicopters in the course of its operation providing basic and advanced training to the French and Belgian armed forces. Over the last 14 years, HeliDax has managed to maintain an impressive 100% availability rate with nearly a quarter million flight hours in the H120. That work fostering the next generation of helicopter pilots means the average H120 in HeliDax service racks up an average of 22,000 flight hours per year. As such, the company has been the first in line to join the Airbus HCare Classics program, allowing them to obtain trustworthy OEM support for their aircraft. Airbus sees a solid future for their maintenance work, given the fact that 2,000+ legacy Airbus rotary aircraft continue to serve more than 750 operators around the world. Whether it's the H120, the Dauphin, Puma, or Gazelle, legacy aircraft account for more than 15% of the flight hours generated by the worldwide Airbus fleet. For them, it's an easy choice to offer  a turnkey solution for operators, one that allows them to get maximum value and service duration out of their aircraft while minimizing out-of-pocket maintenance expenses. 

“To continue guaranteeing our fleet and service availability until the end of our contract with the government in 2030, it is essential to have a strong commitment from our major partner, Airbus Helicopters, in terms of support and obsolescence monitoring,” said Christian Prigentt, director of HeliDax. “The HCare Classics contract secures our supply chain and replaces our acquisition of safety stocks, whose quantities are based on estimates only without taking into account future logistical supply chain risks. In this respect, and thanks to its service, which is paid per flight hour, this contract will contribute directly to our management of maintenance costs, until the end of our agreement with the French government.”

“HeliDax is a great example of the many customers who continue to operate legacy helicopters to perform essential missions, and we’re honored to extend our relationship with them via this support contract. Through HCare Classics, Airbus Helicopters secures the supply chain and ensures sufficient provision of spare parts, as well as other support options specifically tailored to meet the needs of these unique operators,” said Christoph Zammert, executive vice president of customer support & services at Airbus Helicopters. “One example of how we approach the supply chain is by parting out aircraft as a means to inject parts into the pool, thus adding an important lever for sustainable life-cycle management of our fleet.”

FMI: www.airbus.com