Rotortrade MRO Latrobe obtains AFAC approval for Mexican-registered helicopters

Rotortrade U.S. maintenance facility, Rotortrade MRO Latrobe, has received Mexico's Workshop Certificate Convalidation from the Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC), extending international recognition of its FAA Part 145 capabilities. The approval authorizes Rotortrade MRO Latrobe to perform maintenance, inspections, repairs, modifications, and retrofit work on helicopters registered in Mexico under AFAC regulations, including commercial and private operators. The certification recognizes the facility's existing FAA Part 145 capabilities and enables Rotortrade to directly support Mexican operators from its U.S. base.

The approval follows a comprehensive audit conducted by AFAC, during which the authority reviewed Rotortrade's maintenance procedures, quality systems, technical documentation, and operational processes. The audit also included interviews with technical personnel to verify compliance with regulatory requirements. Following the successful assessment, only minor recommendations were issued and promptly incorporated into the organization's manuals and procedures.

During the visit, Ingeniero Julio Cesar Jiménez Villalobos, Head of the Aircraft Maintenance Organizations Division (Subdirector de Talleres Aeronáuticos) at AFAC, congratulated the Rotortrade MRO Latrobe team on the quality of the facility and its operational standards. The new approval further strengthens Rotortrade's growing maintenance network and reinforces its commitment to supporting helicopter operators throughout the Americas.

Philippe Lubrano, CEO of Rotortrade commented: "Our objective has always been to provide customers with seamless support wherever they operate. This AFAC approval represents another important milestone in the development of our U.S. MRO capabilities and allows us to better serve the growing Mexican helicopter market with certified maintenance solutions."

Rotortrade MRO Latrobe has rapidly established itself as a key pillar of the company's global maintenance strategy. Located at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Pennsylvania, the FAA Part 145-certified facility provides line and base maintenance, structural repairs, avionics integration, aircraft completions, mission equipment installations and retrofit services from its dedicated maintenance center. Since its launch, the facility has supported private, corporate, EMS and law enforcement operators across North America and continues to expand its technical capabilities and international approvals.

The Latrobe facility is currently approved to maintain Bell 206, 407, 412 and 429 helicopters, Airbus H130, H135 and H145 models, as well as Leonardo AW119 and AW109 series aircraft. As an official dealer for Garmin, Astronautics and Skytrac, Rotortrade MRO Latrobe also provides OEM-supported avionics installations, mission equipment integration and cockpit modernization programs, offering customers a single source for maintenance, customization and advanced aircraft upgrades.

The addition of AFAC validation enables the facility to support Mexican-registered helicopters while further establishing Latrobe as a strategic maintenance hub serving operators across North and Latin America. Together with Rotortrade's EASA-approved Maintenance Center in Tallard, France, and the future Rotortrade Helipark in Riyadh, the Latrobe facility forms part of a growing global MRO network designed to provide harmonized maintenance, retrofit, avionics integration and lifecycle support across multiple regulatory jurisdictions.