Airbus looking at grounding Lamas and Alouettes
Vertical Magazine
Once the undisputed king of the mountains, the Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama helicopter is now facing permanent grounding following more than half a century of legendary service.
There are more than 200 Lamas and Alouettes still in operation, according to Airbus estimates.
Robert Niederwolfsgruber PhotoCiting difficulties with maintaining airworthiness and flight safety, Airbus Helicopters — which holds the type certificate for the Lama as well as its predecessor, the Alouette III — notified operators on March 23, 2022, that it was conducting a “global situation analysis” of the Alouette and Lama fleets.
The OEM bulletin indicated this analysis is being performed “as part of a reflection on the continuation or withdrawal of Alouette & Lama type certificates.”