Airbus and HeliDax sign first ever HCare Classics contract
Airbus Helicopters and French helicopter operator, HeliDax have signed the first-ever HCare Classics support contract to service its H120 fleet. HCare Classics is the French OEM’s new support package dedicated to supporting Airbus’ out-of-production helicopters.
Operating H120s since 2008, HeliDax relies on its fleet of 36 to provide training to the French and Belgian armed forces and Gendarmerie. The H120 fleet is the largest in-service in the world. Since the partnership began, HeliDax has maintained a 100% availability level and has racked up 246,000hrs of flight time.
Christian Prigentt, director, HeliDax said: “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.”
Prigentt added: “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.”
Today there are more than 2,000 legacy Airbus helicopters in service with approximately 750 operators around the world. These out-of-production aircraft include the H120, Dauphin, Puma and Gazelle and account for 15% of the flight hours generated by the entire Airbus Helicopters fleet.
Christoph Zammert, executive vice president, Customer Support & Services, Airbus Helicopters said: “HeliDax is a great example of the many customers who continue to operate legacy helicopters to perform essential missions, and we’re honoured 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.”
Zammert added: “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.”
