During the 3rd Customer Symposium in China (15th and 16th October) in Hangzhou, which brought together more than 100 participants from operators and airlines, Turbomeca (Safran) strengthened its partnership with three Chinese customers.

Government Flying Services (GFS) has renewed the SBH (Support By the Hour) contract with Turbomeca, which covers their fleet of Arriel and Makila engines. Based in Hong Kong, GFS operates seven helicopters.

Turbomeca has celebrated the 200,000 hour milestone under SBH support contract with Citic Offshore Helicopter Company (COHC), which operates a fleet of 76 Turbomeca engines. COHC is the biggest helicopter airline in China mainly dedicated to offshore transport.

Turbomeca China and State Grid General Aviation Company (SGGAC) have strengthened their cooperation with the signature of a new SBH contract. SGGAC is the China’s largest helicopter operator in the power and electricity sectors and a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China, one of the world’s largest electricity providers. SGGAC operates a fleet of five Turbomeca engines.

Hervé Pasbecq, General Manager of Turbomeca China, said: “We are proud to be associated with these three major Chinese customers. We are honored to support their demanding missions, providing safety, reliability, innovation and proximity, our core values to keep them flying”.

SBH provides the operators with a fixed cost per engine per flight hour. It is available for new or used engines with no minimum number of annual flight hours. Providing continuous financial coverage for scheduled engine repairs and overhaul as well as unscheduled engine repairs, SBH is a highly effective budgeting tool.

Today, 25 % of Turbomeca’s customers have chosen a SBH support contract.

Turbomeca China has 31 employees in its office located in Beijing. Turbomeca’s presence in China is based on 40 years of cooperation with the Chinese industry. With over 500 engines in operation in the country, it is the leading helicopter engine supplier in China: one helicopter out of two is equipped with Turbomeca engines or licensed products.

Turbomeca (Safran) is the leading helicopter engine manufacturer, and has designed and produced 70,000 turbine engines since the company was founded. Offering the widest range of engines in the world and dedicated to 2,500 customers in 155 countries, Turbomeca provides a proximity service thanks to its 16 sites, 30 proximity maintenance centers, 18 Repair & Overhaul Centers, and 90 Field representatives and Field technicians. Microturbo, a subsidiary of Turbomeca, is the European leader in turbojet engines for missiles, drones and auxiliary power units.