"The Russian market is of considerable importance to Safran and its companies"

French engine maker Turbomeca, a subsidiary of Safran Group, is among the most prominent foreign exhibitors at this year’s HeliRussia. Philippe Couteaux, Turbomeca’s VP and General Manager Airframers, told Show Observer about his company’s plans to expand its presence on the Russian rotorcraft market.

— To what extent is the Russian market important to Turbomeca?

— Turbomeca’s presence at HeliRussia is a strong sign of our investment in the Russian helicopter activity. We consider this to be of key importance to Turbomeca and Safran, and this is why we want to be party to this major event.

Considering the number of Russian helicopters operated worldwide, it is a considerable market. Looking at the backlog of orders the Russian Helicopters company has today, and the number of aircraft it delivered last year, which is growing significantly from the previous years, we can see very strong signals that the helicopter market is going to grow in this country. We would like to be party to this.