SAF Aerogroup Part 145 subsidiary Aero Support Force has signed an HCare In-Service support contract to cover its fleet of four H215s and one H225 that are operated by subsidiaries Starlite Aviation in South Africa and SAF International in France. The HCare In-Service package has been tailored to SAF Aerogroup’s operational needs, providing it with parts availability by-the-hour services to optimise the fleet’s maintenance and performance. Aero Support Force has also signed a second contract to retrofit 15 of its H125 helicopters with crash-resistant fuel systems (CRFS). These are operated by SAF Aerogroup’s subsidiaries SAF Hélicoptères and Helilagon in La Reunion.

“In order to deliver on our commitment to provide reliable aircraft services for any call to action, and at a competitive cost, it is fundamental that we have a global streamlined maintenance package that we can depend on and that meets our specific operational requirements,” says Aero Support Force CEO Tiago Reis.

“Safety is one of our top priorities, and modernising our helicopter fleet with the safest technologies is in line with these values. Thanks to the CRFS kits, we will be able to retrofit our Ecureuil fleet at our own facilities with a limited amount of downtime,” adds SAF Aerogroup president Tristan Serretta.

Airbus executive vice president of customer support and services Christoph Zammert explains: “The new HCare offer has been designed with our customers’ unique needs and operational environments in mind. The HCare In-Service package is tailored to provide SAF Aerogroup’s entire Super Puma fleet with the optimal level of part availability commitment in the form of a part-by-the-hour solution in order to best meet its specific operational needs in one single contract. As our primary mission is to help our customers conduct their operations efficiently, safely and cost-effectively, we’re honoured to be able to help SAF Aerogroup carry out its essential missions.”

SAF Aerogroup is an international company present in Europe, the Indian Ocean and Africa. Its entity Aero Support Force is a service centre that provides maintenance and support for all of SAF Aerogroup’s operators. One of its subsidiaries, Starlite Aviation, operates the fleet of two Puma and Six Super Pumas for firefighting, medevac, rescue and relief operations. Its European heavy-lifting operator SAF International is operating an additional Super Puma configured for delivering aerial work.