S-92 support center opens in Brazil to boost helicopter maintenance

Heli-One has opened the first S-92 Customer Support Center in Brazil, located in Cabo Frio, expanding maintenance capability for S-92 operators across South America. The facility provides scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for any S-92 aircraft in the region and has been authorized by Sikorsky. It will act as the foundation for a broader S-92 Center of Excellence, including parts provisioning and future overhaul and repair capability.

The S-92 is widely used for long-range offshore transport, search and rescue (SAR) and coastguard missions, making reliable regional maintenance support critical for operators flying demanding maritime and public service operations across South America.

The center is the ninth S-92 support hub globally and the first of its kind in South America. It has been developed with support from Milestone Aviation Group, part of AerCap, which owns 17 of the approximately 40 S-92 aircraft operating in the region.

Heli-One President Kevin Spengler said: “We are proud to bring Heli-One’s specialist MRO capabilities to Brazil with the opening of this new Customer Support Center. This investment will significantly improve maintenance turnaround times and parts provisioning for S-92 operators across Brazil and the wider South American region, helping keep critical missions flying with greater reliability and efficiency.”

Leon Silva, Vice President of Sikorsky’s Global Commercial and Advanced Programs, said: “The investment our three companies collectively are planning for the Center of Excellence in Cabo Frio will enable us to stock more helicopter parts in Brazil, train workers with the advanced skills to repair parts locally, and meet our goal to increase flight availability for operators.”

Sikorsky has also announced the ramp-up of S-92A+ production in the USA targeting 12 aircraft per year by 2028, alongside upgrades including a main gearbox with 6,000-hour overhaul intervals and increased payload capacity to 27,700lb, adding 1,200lb of additional payload or fuel capacity.