“ Flexibility Is Key
In such a fluid situation as the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting maintenance practices to changing circumstances has been a must. Required work is still being done, but the time and place varies depending on the helicopter operators’ pandemic-driven schedules and safety procedures.
“Being flexible and able to respond to meet unique support needs has been key,” says Chris Schaefer, director of support and services-international with Bell’s International Division. “As an example, taking on new logistics challenges for customers stranded by the pandemic-related lockdowns had to be an important part of our customer support profile. As well, we have had to engage with government agencies to help navigate new protocols for moving people, parts, and helicopters across borders.”
Flexibility also applies to the actual work being done on helicopters. At Bell’s International Division. Schaefer says, “We had to develop and implement a few unique pandemic-specific procedures because of our pandemic response. For the aircraft itself, we have developed numerous procedures for dealing with contaminants/fluids, from medical evacuation operations to
56 Jan/Feb 2021
“We had to develop and implement a few unique pandemic-specific procedures because of our pandemic response.”
insects in aircraft coming from tropical locations. In addition, all of our Bell international sites have adopted many of the procedures already developed to meet the unique requirements for sanitizing an aircraft during handover or induction.”
Airbus and Bell aren’t alone in their efforts. Despite the many logistical and support problems caused by COVID-19, other maintenance providers such as Leonardo Helicopters have stayed the course to keep their customers flying. “During the pandemic emergency, Leonardo has delivered continued support through its global network and leveraged digital technologies for remote maintenance services,” says Giovanni Cecchelli, the company’s VP of customer support and services. Leonardo’s ability to support some customers remotely has been helped by the firm’s push to digitize its operations, which has been underway since 2019. Cecchelli says, “The COVID-19 pandemic scenario confirmed and boosted our focus in this area.
“We did not stop training during COVID either. We used e-learning solutions to cope during the pandemic,” Cecchelli adds. “As well, we have accelerated our processes and our capacity to prevent and react to our customers’ needs.”
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