EADS Socata boosted its turnover by over 20% last year to €228 million ($285 million), stimulated by the success of its TBM850 high performance turboprop single and a bulging customer support backlog for its aerostructures division.
Speaking at a press conference in Paris on Monday, Stéphane Mayer, chairman and chief executive of Socata said: “In 2006 we recorded a 21% growth of our revenue, and a growing backlog of €562 million which leaves us with good perspectives for 2007 and after.”
“This growth is the result of the commercial success of our Very Fast Turboprop TBM 850, a sustained activity in aerostructures programmes, and significant customer support contracts.”
Socata delivered 42 TBM 850 last year a 35 % increase on deliveries of its TBM 700 predecessor in 2005.
Socata's aerostructures business saw a 13% climb in deliveries. Key contracts include the Airbus A380 nose lower structure and composite landing gear doors, the A330/A340 composite belly fairing, A320 family engine pylon, Dassault Falcon 7X upper fuselage and composite body fairing, Embraer ERJ 170/190 rear section and Eurocopter EC130 & EC350 airframe.
“In 2006 EADS Socata became the sole provider of belly fairing for the A330/A340 family, and is now, world’s number two for the volume production of composite belly fairing. In this field, Socata was selected in 2006 by Dassault for a section of the Falcon 2000 composite body fairing,” says the Tarbes, southwest France-based company. EADS Socata is also building the composite landing gear door, for the A 380 and the A400M.
Meanwhile, Socata has clinched a €14.2 million, five-year contract from the French military procurement agency (DGA) to retrofit the avionics on the French military air transport flight school’s fleet of Embraer Emb-110 Xingús.
The Xingú entered service with the French air force and navy around 30 years ago to train military transport pilot, flight engineers and navigators. through avionics modernization, maintenance, repair and overall package offers. Headquartered in Tarbes, France, with North American operations in Pembroke Pines, Florida, EADS Socata is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS – a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services
Source: FlightGlobal.com
