Airbus Helicopters starts a 40 million euro investment in Ghimbav

 Guillaume Faury, Airbus Helicopters CEO, said that part of the equipment for assembling of the Super Puma had already been moved to the Romanian subsidiary. Investment in the Ghimbav factory is expected to reach 40 million euro, while IAR Ghimbav will invest another 11 million as main provider of the factory. The investment follows a memorandum of understanding signed in 2014 by former Economy Minister Constantin Nita and Faury Guillaume, CEO of Airbus to take part in Super Puma MK1 helicopters manufacturing. 

 With over 300 Pumas and Alouettes helicopters (IAR330 and IAR316) produced under licence in the 1970s for national and export markets, Airbus Helicopters has enjoyed a longstanding partnership with the Government of Romania. The helicopter manufacturer’s presence in Brasov dates to 2002 through Eurocopter Romania, a joint-venture with the state-owned company Industria Aeronautică Română (now IAR S.A. Brasov). 

 Over 170 highly skilled employees perform major inspections and repairs of Pumas and Super Pumas, as well as work on maintenance export contracts. In 2012, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence took possession of its first upgraded Puma Mk1 as part of the Puma Life Extension Programme (LEP) contract awarded to Eurocopter UK in 2009 which upgrades Mk1 helicopters to Mk2. The three-year support contract affects a fleet of 24 Royal Air Force Puma Mk1 helicopters being upgraded at Brasov to extend their life, and enhance performance, mission capability and operational safety. In addition, Airbus Helicopters aircraft perform missions for several Romanian State institutions, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Interior, and the Intelligence Service Agency (SRI).