HI Uplift: Safran finds a new home in Germany

Safran Helicopter Engines celebrated the official opening with 200 customers, partners and company representatives.

Welcome to this two-hander version of the Helicopter Investor Uplift newsletter. We begin with an interview with Safran Helicopter Engines about the company’s new base in northern Germany. Next up is your invitation to nominate inspiring rotary finance deals for the Helicopter Investor Deal of the Year Awards. The new deadline expires at noon on Tuesday, May 26th.

A 30-minute drive north of Hamburg lies the small commuter city of Norderstedt. Founded in 1970, it’s known for its open spaces, heath and lake – host to a range of water sports. But it’s not just water ski and wakeboard enthusiasts who are drawn to the vicinity.

Last month, Safran Helicopter Engines officially opened its new 3,000sqm hub in Norderstedt to provide a range of support services for Arrius, Arriel and RTM322 engines. Together with local maintenance, the facility offers spare-parts storage capacity and 24/7 availability for the company’s clients throughout the region.

“After 35 years in an office building in Hamburg, Safran Helicopter Engines Germany made the strategic decision to invest in a new, larger site to better support growing activity in both civil and military helicopter markets,” a spokesman for the engine manufacturer tells us.

‘300 customers in different regions’

“This new site aims to enhance the company’s capabilities and agility to better serve its 300 customers in the different regions, including the German armed forces, especially during a period of significant growth in the helicopter market,” he added.

The launch of the site is essential for delivering the highest standard of proximity service and customer support in the region, said Cédric Goubet, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines. “The opening of this facility is a direct response to the strong growth in both the civil and military helicopter markets in Europe,” he said speaking last month. “It also strengthens German sovereignty by enhancing local expertise, particularly with the introduction of new helicopters into the German armed forces.”

The new facility, with 80 staff, will provide maintenance, repair and service for 2,300 turbine engines from 27 countries. In addition to Germany, these include other countries in Northern and Eastern Europe and in Central Asia. Taken together, about 300 civil and military customers will be served by the new site.

‘80% by 2030’

While the civil rotary sector remains key for the company, a big driver of demand for services comes from the host country’s military. “Norderstedt will provide local support for the entire German MOD helicopter fleet powered by Safran engines,” says the spokesman. “Currently 65% of this fleet is equipped with Safran engines, this share will grow to 80% by 2030 with the ramp up of H145M and NH90 for Marine.”

Across military and civil clients, the manufacturer’s engines power a wide range of Airbus, Bell and Leonardo helicopters.

A key feature of the new facility will be achieving carbon neutrality in its operations through initiatives such as photovoltaic panels, a green roof to absorb CO2 and energy-efficient systems, according to company. These include heat pumps and ventilation with heat recovery.

That’s another reason Norderstedt will make a good home for Safran Helicopter Engines. The city is renowned in Germany for its dedication to sustainability, having been recognised as a ‘Champion in Climate Protection’ by the country’s City of the Future initiative. And then, there are all those water sports.

HI Deal of the Year Awards Deadline: May 26th, 2026

There’s now even more time to nominate your favourite rotary finance deals for our Helicopter Investor Deal of the Year Awards. The new deadline is noon on Tuesday May 26th, 2026.

We’d like your help to showcase the best in helicopter finance deals. There are eight categories – spanning Best Americas Deal to M&A Deal of the Year – to choose between. Companies can self-nominate or we’d be delighted to receive nominations from individuals on behalf of others. What’s important is the calibre of the deal and its significance for the civil helicopter industry.

Making a nomination is easy: simply pick a category or categories from the list below before emailing us the details.. The winners from each category will be considered for the big one – The Helicopter Investor Deal of the Year Award 2026.

Credit where credit is due

To help us give credit where credit is due, we have recruited a highly experienced team of industry analysts and appraisers. Scrutinising all the entries will be Sara Dhariwal, aviation analyst and lead appraiser at Cirium Ascend Consultancy, Alastair Fallon, director, senior appraiser with the consultancy F4 – Fly Fast Further First and Clark McGinn, founder of the consultancy Uplifting advice.

Calculators in hand, they will be sifting through the financial details of all entries. When their work is done, we will be ready to celebrate all the winners at our Helicopter Investor London 2026 conference on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 16th.

Meanwhile, good luck to all the nominees. We can’t wait to read all the entries and share the winners with you.

Categories: HI Deal of the Year Awards:

Best Americas Deal

Best European Deal

Best Asian/MEA Deal

Most Innovative Deal

M&A Deal

Best Supported Financing Deal (including export credit)

Borrower treasury team of the year

Overall Deal of the Year.

Making a nomination

Please send the following transaction details and other information, either as an email or Word document, to Mike Stones:

Borrower’s name ……………..

Deal size in $ ………………….

Structure ………………………

Closing date .…………………

Helicopter types (if secured) …

Financial arrangers …………..

Lenders ……………………….

Legal advisers ………………..

Tax advisers …………………..

Appraisers …………………….

Summary of why your nomination deserves to win an award ….

The nominee’s name (This will remain confidential) ……………..

The nominee’s email and telephone number ……………………..