Safran Secures Landmark Support Contract with Japan Airlines for A350 Fleet
The French group strengthens its partnership with the Japanese carrier through a groundbreaking long-term agreement covering several key Airbus A350 components.
Safran has announced that Japan Airlines has signed a comprehensive "Support By Hour" (SBH) contract with the group—a flight hour-based support agreement lasting nine years and covering up to 35 Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft, with service entry set for January 1, 2026.
This agreement, described as a first, brings together four Safran companies under a single contract: Safran Landing Systems, Safran Electronics & Defense, Safran Electrical & Power, and Safran Ventilation Systems.
The arrangement offers a turnkey support solution, including maintenance, repair, component pooling, logistics management, and dedicated local support in Tokyo. The package leverages real-time data usage, advanced analytics tools, and digital integration to anticipate maintenance needs, improve component availability, and reduce unexpected events.
"The shared goal is to maintain the highest levels of reliability and service quality for the airline's passengers," said Darren Waite, Customer Support & Services Director at Safran Landing Systems.
Safran is a high technology international group, a leading equipment provider in the Aerospace and Defense markets. The group specializes in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of equipment and systems of high technology mechanical and electronic equipment. Net sales break down by product family as follows:
- aeronautic and space propulsion systems (50%): helicopter motors (No. 1 worldwide), civil and military airplanes motors, systems for space lancers and missiles, turboreactors for drone targets, etc.;
- aircraft equipment, defense systems and aerosystems (39.3%): airplane engine pods, landing gear, braking systems, electric wiring systems, etc. Safran also offers on board aircraft systems and equipment (primarily evacuation slides, emergency arresting systems, protective parachutes and oxygen systems, electrical power management systems, control systems, water and waste management systems and connectivity systems) and defense and security systems (helicopter flight controls, fingerprint-based biometric identification systems (No. 1 worldwide), inertial systems, optronic systems, tactical drone systems, etc.);
- aircraft interiors (10.7%): cabin interiors and seats.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: France (19%), Europe (23%), Americas (29%), Asia and Oceania (19%), Africa and Middle East (10%).
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