Eurocopter’s subsidiary in the Southern Cone has formed a partnership with Servicios Aéreos de Los Andes and opened its first certified service center in Peru. The new center, based in the city of Ayacucho, will offer Eurocopter AS350B3 customers a maintenance center certified at the operational and intermediate (O&I) level.

The center will carry out inspections up to 600 flying hours and will replace small and large components, including gearboxes, blade and hub units, and electrical and avionics systems.

“The certification of this new service center underlines the group’s commitment to be close to its customers and increase its range of services in a country that is growing quickly,” said Alexandre Ceccacci, general manager of Eurocopter Cono Sur.

Eurocopter operates more than 80 authorized service centers for customers on five continents. Although the AStar/Ecureuil accounts for most of the region’s existing Eurocopter fleet, the company said the country’s oil and mining industries have been showing an increasing interest in twin-engine aircraft such as the EC145 and AS332 Super Puma.