Belgian B2B helicopter provider NHV Group has established a brand-new maintenance training organisation that will provide training and certification for aircraft technicians.

NHV will offer aircraft type-related training, initially focusing on the Airbus H145 D2/D3, Airbus H175, Airbus AS365N3 and Leonardo AW139. Thanks to a collaborative partnership with the EASA certified training company AMC66 and STEM school Petrus & Paulus West, basic B1 and B2 trainings are also accessible for aircraft technicians without previous rotary experience. Combining their forces within one maintenance training organisation, the partners can deliver the full training package: theoretical and practical elements of technical training courses, conducting examination, as well as issuing completion certificates to qualifying trainees.

“Despite the challenging times in a COVID-19 environment, investing in the future has never been so important,” says NHV’s chief operational officer Thomas Hütsch. “Our newly acquired Part 147 technical training capability provides the needed flexibility in upskilling of our own staff, but we also look forward to training technicians from other operators and newly-graduated students.”

Training manager Frédéric Matton adds: “We are excited to offer the next generation of aircraft technicians an entry point into our challenging and rewarding industry. We know the aviation and aircraft business’ needs like no other. We aim to develop our students' key aviation engineering skills, but we also want to inspire them with our passion for aviation, ensuring an even greater return on investment.”

NHV has now opened its first maintenance training facilities, situated within the grounds of Ostend airport in Belgium. Later this year, the company will add Aberdeen and Norwich in the UK to its Part 147 training locations. NHV will also make maximum use of e-learning, which significantly reduces the costs, loss of time and environmental impact caused by travelling. This way, the training courses will also be easily accessible for professionals who want to combine their current job with extra training. The first groups of students will begin their training in the autumn of 2021.