Sabena Engineering, a subsidiary of Orizio Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus on the maintenance of A400Ms in the Belgian-Luxembourg fleet. This MoU is also the continuation of more than half a century of cooperation between Sabena Engineering and the Belgian Armed Forces.
MoU between Sabena Engineering and Airbus
This September 13, Sabena Engineering, a subsidiary of Orizio Group, announced in a Press release the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus regarding the maintenance of A400M Atlas tactical transport aircraft. Concretely, this agreement concerns the light (C-Light) and heavy (C-Heavy) maintenance of the 8 A400Ms based in Melsbroek, the military part of Brussels-National airport (Brussels, Belgium) within the recent A400M hangar . At the request of Defense, Sabena Engineering will also be able to carry out the requested maintenance from its own facilities, in the event that the A400M hangar already accommodates three A400Ms. This cooperation represents a continuation of the long collaboration between Sabena Engineering and the Belgian Armed Forces (F-16A/B, C-130H,… up to the DC-3) as explained by Stéphane Burton, CEO of Orizio Group:
“The signing of this MoU is truly a reflection of the deep partnership of more than 50 years between Sabena Engineering and the Air Component, and the implementation of the strategic vision of Belgian Defense aimed at developing the Belgian Defense Industrial and Technological Base ( BITD).“
Ludivine Dedonder, Belgian Minister of Defense, also spoke, emphasizing the maintenance of aircraft but also the creation of jobs following this decision:
“I am particularly satisfied with the agreement between Airbus and Sabena Engineering, which guarantees the maintenance of our Belgian-Luxembourgish A400M fleet in Belgium. Through this agreement, we not only guarantee available maintenance capacity for our fleet in our own country, but we also guarantee and create jobs in our Belgian aerospace industry. This agreement once again shows that cooperation between Defense and our industry is extremely valuable and that we must cherish and strengthen this cooperation. It strengthens our operational fleet as well as our Belgian industry and our strategic autonomy.“
Furthermore, Jean-Brice Dumont, head of military air systems at Airbus Defense and Space, also spoke about this MoU:
“In a very complex and demanding international context for our customers’ military aircraft inventory, Airbus and Sabena Engineering will combine their skills and collaborative spirit for a more efficient service model that will guarantee sustainable and solid benefits to the BELUX fleet A400M.“
