Post-launch, the enhanced HCare initiative soars aloft
Airbus has unveiled its HCare offering, a comprehensive maintenance and logistics solution designed to optimize helicopter availability, reduce operating costs, and enhance operational efficiency.
Key Features of the HCare Offering
The HCare package includes three main offerings: HCare Initial, HCare In-Service, and HCare Lifetime, which can be customized according to a customer's needs. For Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) aircraft and out-of-production legacy fleets (H120, Dauphin, Puma, and Gazelle), there are specialized sets of packages: HCare First and HCare Classics.
The HCare In-Service contract ensures timely spare parts availability, streamlined logistics, and cost-effective maintenance. To further enhance maintenance efficiency, Airbus has introduced HCare Real-Time Data Management. This technology uses satellite-based technology to allow operators to monitor helicopter parameters in flight, enabling proactive maintenance and improved safety.
Benefits of the HCare Offering
The benefits of the HCare offering include optimized helicopter availability through efficient maintenance and parts supply, cost-effective support that reduces unforeseen downtime and operational expenditures, enhanced safety and operational control via real-time flight data monitoring, improved logistics management, and tailored multi-service contracts that support various helicopter types and mission profiles.
Notable Customers and Orders
Several key players have signed on for the HCare offer, including Ancala Partners, The Helicopter Company (THC), SAF Aerogroup, Dare County, a Private Business and Aviation launch customer, and Helidax. Swiss Helicopter has agreed to upgrade the avionics systems of its H120s, becoming the first civil-operations customer to take advantage of this improvement offer. Luxaviation Uzbekistan has also contracted the HCare Initial package for their newly ordered H125 helicopter.
SAF Aerogroup has ordered crash-resistant fuel systems (CRFS) kits to retrofit 15 of its Ecureuil helicopters. The Trento Firefighters, an Italian operator, will be covered under the HCare Initial package for their newly ordered H145 helicopters.
Simplifying Support and Services
The new HCare offering, introduced by Airbus in March, aims to simplify support and services packages, reducing the administrative burdens of managing multiple contracts. The HCare Store provides a platform for operators to order one-off services covering various aspects such as Material Management, Helicopter Maintenance, Technical Support, Training & Flight Ops, and Connected Services.
With the HCare offering, operators, both governmental and commercial, can maintain mission readiness and extend the service life of their Airbus helicopters effectively. The comprehensive support package has garnered interest from several helicopter operators, with some contracting HCare Initial packages for entry-into-service with new Airbus helicopters. Several operators have also signed on for Part Availability contracts, which offer an exchange and replacement service for helicopter components to better predict and streamline maintenance expenses.
The HCare offering, designed to optimize helicopter availability and reduce operating costs, reflects Airbus's expansion into finance, technology, aerospace, and other industries where efficient maintenance and logistics are crucial. This expansion is evident in the introduction of HCare Real-Time Data Management, a technology that leverages satellite-based technology to improve safety, maintenance efficiency, and operational control. Furthermore, the HCare Store, part of the new offering, aims to simplify support and services for operators, especially in financial aspects such as Material Management and Helicopter Maintenance.
