UAE Business: SAEI, Leonardo sign pact for helicopter maintenance – Gulf Digital News

UAE Business: SAEI, Leonardo sign pact for helicopter maintenance – Gulf Digital News

Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI) and Leonardo, a global high-technology company, have signed an agreement to strengthen maintenance service for the fleet of AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopters in Saudi Arabia.



By the memorandum of agreement (MoA), announced at the ongoing Dubai Airshow, SAEI will enter a qualification process to be recognised as a Leonardo Authorised Service Centre for the bestselling AW139 model in the country delivering basic maintenance for the type. The MoA also includes the addition of the AW169 helicopter and the AW609 TiltRotor in the future.



Ibrahim AlOmar, Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines, said: “It is encouraging to see that SAEI is increasingly being recognized by leading aerospace industry leaders for its competitive capabilities in offering wide-ranging maintenance services to a broad spectrum of aircraft. We hope that the agreement with Leonardo will energize SAEI’s and the wider SAUDIA Group’s efforts to further develop local competencies in aviation and allied industries in line with the Kingdom’s localization and employment generation objectives as outlined in Vision 2030.”



“We are delighted to be appointed as the first authorised Leonardo service centre in Saudi Arabia for AW139, AW169, and AW609 helicopter fleets,” said Captain Fahd Cynndy, CEO of SAEI. “I am confident that