Safran Helicopter Engines and Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) have signed an agreement to extend their support to helicopter engines used by Thai parapublic operators. The agreement marks a new stage in a partnership that began in 2017, with Safran supporting Makila engines used on H225 helicopters operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.

This agreement enlarges the scope of support and services provided through the partnership. It covers more operators and new engine models, such as the Arrius and the Arriel. It also optimises the technical support provided by Safran to include inventory management, and confirms TAI as national distributor of Safran spare parts.

The partnership with TAI, covering around 50 engines, is built around the Global Support Package (GSP) service model, which guarantees engine availability to parapublic, and military, operators. It is executed through the industrial capabilities of TAI, the main aircraft repair and maintenance service provider in Thailand. In partnership with Safran, TAI provides helicopter engine line maintenance, depot repair, inventory management and technical support expertise to ensure engine availability to government operators.

Under the GSP, the customer receives a commitment to have serviceable engines available whenever they need them. Other GSP principles include budget stability, fixed price per engine flying hour and a technical partnership with the OEM.

Individual operators include the Royal Thai Air Force, Army, Navy, Police and Survey Department. The Royal Thai Armed Forces operate Makila-powered H225M and Arriel-powered fleets of H125M, H145M, AS365N3+ and H155.

The partnership is managed by Safran Helicopter Engines Asia in Singapore, which supports more than 1,000 Safran Helicopter Engines in southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent.