Airline partners Airtelis, Heliswiss Iberica, and Air Zermatt broaden their HCare contracts
In recent developments, Heliswiss Iberica SA, a prominent Spanish lessor and MRO provider, has signed an agreement to become a certified Airbus Helicopters service centre. This move expands the company's global network of approximately 90 service centres, reinforcing its commitment to providing top-tier maintenance and support services. As part of this agreement, Heliswiss Iberica SA has also purchased one additional H125 helicopter.
Meanwhile, Heliswiss Iberica SA will perform maintenance for a wide array of aircraft, including depot-level maintenance on Ecureuil family helicopters. This expansion of services is expected to benefit numerous operators, including Air Zermatt, a Swiss customer of Airbus Helicopters.
Gerold Biner, Air Zermatt's pilot and CEO, has noted the benefits of the power upgrade for their operations. The power upgrade on Air Zermatt's H125 helicopters has provided extra payload and improved performance at higher altitudes, without causing any downtime during the retrofit process. In fact, Air Zermatt has already completed a power upgrade on four of its H125 helicopters.
Air Zermatt is not the only one reaping the benefits of Airbus Helicopters' innovative solutions. Airtelis/RTE, an HCare global support customer since 2011, has renewed its HCare Smart Parts by the Hour (PBH) contract for an additional five years to cover a fleet of eight helicopters. Remi Magar, technical director of Airtelis, expressed satisfaction with the renewed PBH support contract, stating it enables the highest availability levels for public service missions.
The PBH contract offers comprehensive parts availability and cost predictability by charging operators a fixed hourly rate for parts coverage. Benefits generally include reduced logistical burden, guaranteed parts availability, optimized maintenance planning, and cost control. However, the specific terms of the Airtelis/RTE contract have not been disclosed.
Airtelis/RTE, a company primarily engaged in power line construction and maintenance, will be covering three Super Pumas and five H135 helicopters under the renewed contract. The company, along with its parent company RTE (Réseau de Transport d Électricité, EDF Group), has developed Supplemental Type Certificates to customize their helicopters for powerline operations.
In a safety-focused move, Air Zermatt will retrofit H125 helicopters with the Crash Resistant Fuel System. This system is expected to provide increased safety for Air Zermatt's H125 helicopters, ensuring the highest standards of safety for their operations.
Airbus Helicopters' HCare services cover five domains: Material Management, Helicopter MRO and upgrades, Technical Support, Training & Flight Operations, and Connected Services. These comprehensive services aim to provide operators with the highest levels of support and efficiency, ensuring their operations run smoothly and safely.
- The manufacturing industry of Heliswiss Iberica SA expanded further with the purchase of an additional H125 helicopter, as well as the agreement to become a certified Airbus Helicopters service centre, which will involve operations in the energy, aerospace, and finance sectors for the maintenance of various aircraft.
- In the finance sector, Airtelis/RTE, a company primarily engaged in power line construction and maintenance, renewed its HCare Smart Parts by the Hour (PBH) contract for an additional five years, covering a fleet of eight helicopters to ensure cost predictability and optimized maintenance planning in the energy industry.
