Le Parisien newspaper is reporting that Mat Aviation, based at Toussus-le-Noble airfield on the outskirts of Paris, has been forced to close by the liquidator after many months of difficult trading. The move means that twenty employees have lost their jobs at the JAR145 maintenance company. The move is particularly disappointing move when the company had more recently won a contract with the French Army, but longer-term financial support could not be found.

Helicopteres de France had put forward a proposal to take on the twenty workers, but the conditions of the deal were not acceptable according to CEO Bertrand Wilmer.

Mat Aviation maintained most of the French-built helicopter types, and their approvals included avionics, as well as the repair of rotor blades and batteries. In 2006 it achieved JAR145 approval – reference number FR.145.397 – and its website refers to a merger in October 2010 with Rotor France Industries and Rotor Angouleme. It is unclear whether the liquidation affects these two companies.

Mathieu Guillaume – HeliHub.com Paris correspondent