According to CGAMEC, the expansion of its blade repair business builds on its previous qualification as a Eurocopter-approved centre for a variety of helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services on helicopter types that range from the light single-engine EC120 to heavy twin-engine helicopters such as the Super Puma AS332 and EC225.
CGAMEC’s new capability was formalised with Eurocopter’s presentation of the rotor blade repair approval certificate, which was provided by Dominique Maudet, Eurocopter’s executive vice president of Global Business and Services, to CGAMEC General Manager Zhou Jian at the 2012 Airshow China in Zhuhai.
“The blade repair capability is a major step in CGAMEC’s development, which supports the rapidly-evolving helicopter market in China,” Maudet said.
“It demonstrates the commitment of Eurocopter and CGAMEC to increase their support and services activities. Eurocopter will continue to assist CGAMEC in gaining new capabilities to offer current and future Chinese customers with local solutions to support their helicopters.”
Created in 2001, the Shenzhen-based CGAMEC is a joint venture of CITIC Offshore Helicopter Company (COHC), Eurocopter and Samwell Aviation Limited Company. It is the first Sino-foreign joint venture in the general aviation MRO field, and is approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), as well as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
In addition to being the only Eurocopter-approved maintenance centre in China, CGAMEC also is the engine service center in China approved by Turbomeca – the main manufacturer of powerplants for Eurocopter’s product line.
According to Bruno Boulnois, the CEO of Eurocopter China, CGAMEC’s capabilities expansion marks a “new step” in Eurocopter’s Chinese presence strategy, which includes its in-country subsidiary that he oversees, along with a range of cooperative programmes for spare parts, logistics, MRO and training.
