Bell’s Singapore service center has received Civil Aviation Administration of China approval for the Bell 206, 407, and 429, allowing it to conduct maintenance, repair, and overhaul work on the helicopters’ components, engines, instruments, and radios.

About 150 Bell helicopters are based in China, consisting of mainly of 40 Bell 206s, 78 Bell 407s, and 17 Bell 429s. That number is set to increase to around 360 with the order from Shaanxi Helicopter and Reignwood International Investment Group for 100 Bell 407GXPs and 110 Bell 505 Jet Ranger Xs, respectively.

“The CAAC certification is a key milestone for Bell as we expand our service and support offering for our growing fleet in the region,” said Bell Asia general manager Chris Schaefer. “Our focus in Asia-Pacific will be working with our authorized customer service facilities and customers to ensure Bell aircraft are maintained to the highest safety standards.”

The certification is expected to give Chinese operators additional MRO options on top of local authorized agents, and engineers from Singapore will travel to China when required. Bell added that the Singapore facility recently received non-restricted FAA Part 145 certification for Bell 205, 206, 212, 407, 412, 429, and 505 maintenance, repair, and overhaul work on all components, engines, accessories, instruments, and radios.