On March 29, Eurocopter received FRA145 approval from the French Aviation Safety Agency (DSAé) following a series of audits conducted by the DSAé in 2011. As a result, the world's number one helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic sectors has been entrusted with maintaining French government helicopters and military hardware at the Marignane, La Courneuve and Cazaux sites. The award of FRA145 certification consolidates the actions Eurocopter has undertaken in enhancing the quality of the services it offers its government clients.
The French Aviation Safety Agency was created in 2010 to oversee the safety of the French government (Air Force, Army, Navy, DGA(1), Gendarmerie, Civil Security and Customs) for three ministries (Defense, Interior and Budget), which represents in a total a fleet of 1,600 airplanes and helicopters.
The presentation ceremony was attended by Brigadier General Mary,Head of Airworthiness at the DSAé, a delegation of DGA auditors, and Mr. Derek Sharples, Executive Vice President of Support and Services at Eurocopter. Stressing the importance of the work successfully undertaken by the teams who pooled their resources and expertise under the supervision of the Support & Services' Quality Department, Sharples stated: "We decided a few months ago to embark upon this challenge. It was a proactive decision on our part, but we felt it was important to be among the first to obtain this certification and to implement a sustainable process that complies with the standardization regulations of the French authorities. This recognition of our technical capabilities is also a reflection of our commitment to serving the French government as best we can as it pursues its policy of optimizing the maintenance of its helicopter fleet and seeks to enhance the availability of its aircraft."
General Mary awarded Eurocopter with the approval certificate, which applies to the maintenance of the French government's EC725 and AS532/AS332 helicopters (periodic and major inspections), Makila engines and related equipment. At the end of the ceremony, General Mary expressed his thanks to Eurocopter's teams, in particular for the responsiveness of the people involved in the process.
Eurocopter is the third manufacturer to obtain FRA145 certification, which should be extended in due course to the Tiger, EC135 and EC145 helicopters.
(1) French Defense Procurement Agency
The French Aviation Safety Agency was created in 2010 to oversee the safety of the French government (Air Force, Army, Navy, DGA(1), Gendarmerie, Civil Security and Customs) for three ministries (Defense, Interior and Budget), which represents in a total a fleet of 1,600 airplanes and helicopters.
The presentation ceremony was attended by Brigadier General Mary,Head of Airworthiness at the DSAé, a delegation of DGA auditors, and Mr. Derek Sharples, Executive Vice President of Support and Services at Eurocopter. Stressing the importance of the work successfully undertaken by the teams who pooled their resources and expertise under the supervision of the Support & Services' Quality Department, Sharples stated: "We decided a few months ago to embark upon this challenge. It was a proactive decision on our part, but we felt it was important to be among the first to obtain this certification and to implement a sustainable process that complies with the standardization regulations of the French authorities. This recognition of our technical capabilities is also a reflection of our commitment to serving the French government as best we can as it pursues its policy of optimizing the maintenance of its helicopter fleet and seeks to enhance the availability of its aircraft."
General Mary awarded Eurocopter with the approval certificate, which applies to the maintenance of the French government's EC725 and AS532/AS332 helicopters (periodic and major inspections), Makila engines and related equipment. At the end of the ceremony, General Mary expressed his thanks to Eurocopter's teams, in particular for the responsiveness of the people involved in the process.
Eurocopter is the third manufacturer to obtain FRA145 certification, which should be extended in due course to the Tiger, EC135 and EC145 helicopters.
(1) French Defense Procurement Agency
