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Helisul expands operations with maintenance of fixed-wing aircraft at Afonso Pena airport

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Honoring its history in providing air services, with an eye on opportunities for the future. That’s how Helisul Aviação decided to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022 – and that’s why it is currently expanding its operations. Now the company’s base at Afonso Pena Airport, in São José dos Pinhais, in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, operates a new type of service: the maintenance of fixed-wing aircraft.

The goal, according to Helisul’s fixed wing maintenance director, Roberto Fajardo, is to serve a market that is growing every day in the country, but which still has few options when it comes to maintenance. “About 90% of aircraft maintenance business is in the regions of São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Goiânia. In the South Region, for example, we have few approved workshops, with little capacity, so customers end up having to travel to these regions to be serviced”, he says.

According to a survey carried out by Wealth-X consultancy, Brazil is the second country with the highest number of aircraft owners in the world. Currently, the country’s fleet is approximately 16,000 private aircraft. Considering only jets, the volume of aircraft grew 8.5% in a period of twelve months from February 2020 – and the expectation is that the demand will remain heated for the coming years.

Exclusive base for planes

For Fajardo, the scenario should lead to the Helisul base at Afonso Pena Airport receiving planes from all over the country. For this reason, the unit will exclusively serve fixed-wing aircraft, whether from Helisul’s own fleet or from third parties. The helicopters, which make up most of the company’s fleet and operations so far, continue to be serviced at the base located at Bacacheri Airport, in Curitiba.

The objective is to make the customer base in this segment grow tenfold in two years. With this, the company’s business involving fixed-wing aircraft should correspond to half of the company’s operations. “We entered this market and estimate that the operation will be 70% related to helicopters and 30% related to airplanes in the first year. Later, the division should be 50%-50%”, says Fajardo.

Specialized team

In order to offer customers a high quality service, Helisul invested in adapting hangars, purchasing tools and equipment, building workshops, in addition to a complete library of all approved aircraft. The team is made up of technicians with extensive experience in aircraft maintenance activities, who are constantly improving.

“Today we have a very good technical team, all with specialized training, some given by manufacturers outside the country, and we still have a schedule to bring in more specialists to increase our capacity month by month”, says the director.

Among the services offered are:

  • Inspections and maintenance of airframe, engines and avionics.
  • Import and sale of aeronautical materials.
  • Nationalization of aircraft.
  • Pre-purchase inspections.
  • Equipment sales and installations.
  • Laboratory for inspections of non-destructive tests NDT, liquid penetrant, magnetic particles and eddy currents.
  • Battery inspection and repairs.
  • Interior repairs.
  • Special projects.
 

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