Safran Aircraft Engines (as Snecma is now known) and Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M, part of the Air France-KLM group) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the creation of a joint company dedicated to the repair of aircraft engine compressor blades. The new company's business will specifically concern CFM56 engines (for the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737), the GE90 (Boeing 777) and the GP7200 (Airbus A380).

The two partners will invest over €20m in the new company, which will be owned 51% by Safran Aircraft Engines and 49% by Air France-KLM; it is scheduled to start operations in late 2017.

The company will be based in France, at the Sars et Rosière business park in the community of La Porte du Hainaut (northern France). The new plant will cover 15,000m2, and offer all the machinery and equipment needed to repair engine parts, including high-tech metallurgical processes.

After reaching full production capacity in 2020, the company should have a total of 200 to 250 employees.

Meanwhile, Safran Helicopter Engines (formerly Turbomeca) has opened its new regional headquarters dedicated to engine support in Singapore's Seletar Aerospace Park. The new 3,500m2 facility triples the industrial capacity of Safran Helicopter Engines Asia.

The facility includes a state of the art maintenance centre qualified for Arrius, Arriel and Makila variants, a training centre for maintenance courses, as well as a 400m2 warehouse. Safran Helicopter Engines Asia currently employs 65 people.