A Chinese delegation visits the Blériot Aviation School (Issy-les-Moulineaux) for a flight demonstration of a Blériot XI aircraft (the same that crossed the Channel), powered by a Gnome Omega engine.

China buys twelve Caudron a/c aircraft equipped with a Gnome Gamma engine, produced by predecessor of Snecma (Safran). First flight between Beijing and Tianjin on July 3rd (1h 12mn).

1913 Caudron aircraft

1913 Caudron G3 aircraft

Engine Gnome Gamma

China buys twenty Dewoitine D510-D50 fighters a/c equipped with Hispano-Suiza 12Y engines (860 ch).

1937 Dewoitine D500 aircraft

Hispano Suiza 12Y engine

Hispano Suiza 12Y engine

Turbomeca turboshaft engines Turmo IIIC6 are sold to China to power 12 Super-Frelon helicopters deployed by the Chinese navy.

Super-Frelon helicopter

Turmo IIIC engine

Agreement signature with AVIC for the production of Turbomeca engines Arriel 1 and Sagem transfer to AVIC of the technology of the PA155 autopilot for the helicopter Z-9 under license. 

Official signature on July 3rd 1980 in the Palace of the People's National Assembly

Arriel 1C engine

• First CFM56 engines enter in service in Greater China with delivery to CAAC for Yunnan Airlines （China Eastern) and Southwest Airlines (Air China). CFM56 engines power 50% of the Chinese fleet.
• Opening of first Turbomeca office in Beijing.    

Mr. Li Peng, Vice Prime Minister of People's Republic of China, with Mr. Jean Bilien, Snecma Civil Market Director, in Avia-expo China exhibition in Beijing in December 1984

Sochata contract of 1986

Creation in Beijing of Snecma Representative Office which becomes later Safran Representative Office in China.

Snecma office building

Snecma logo in Chinese

Beginning of subcontracting in China. Today, a dozen AVIC plants make aircraft equipment and engine parts for Safran.  

• Industrial cooperation program for the production of engine parts: signing a contract with AVIC for the local realization of the CFM56 parts.
• Creation of Aero Engine Maintenance Training Center (AEMTC) in Guanghan.
• Creation of Messier-Bugatti (Safran) Representative China Office.

Contract signature with AVIC in 1996

Construction of AEMTC Guanghan

JV SSAMC with Snecma (Safran), China Southwest Airlines and Willis Lease & Finance.

• Opening of the Messier-Bugatti-Dowty plant in Suzhou to manufacture medium-sized landing gear parts, subassemblies and assemblies. This site is also the hub for the Asian supply chain.
• Selection of Morpho (Safran) AFIS by the Police of the Municipality of Tianjin.
• Partnership in Education and Research between Snecma (Safran), Ecole Central de Lyon and several Chinese universities.

Messier-Bugatti-Dowty plant in Suzhou

Creation of the subsidiary Morpho Security System (Shanghai) Co., Ltd to develop identification and detection activities.  

Opening of the Snecma plant in Suzhou to make parts for the CFM56-7 low-pressure turbine and to support the company's suppliers in Asia.

Snecma Suzhou plant

• Creation of Snecma Xinyi Airfoil Castings Co., Ltd to produce turbine parts for CFM56 engines.
• Turbomeca and the Chinese aerospace industry agree to strengthen their partnership by jointly developing the Ardiden 3C/WZ16 turboshaft engine.

Snecma Xinyi Airfoil Castings Co., Ltd in Guiyang

• Creation of Turbomeca Beijing Helicopter Engines Trading Co., Ltd.
• Opening of a Messier-Bugatti-Dowty plant shared with Snecma (Safran)

CFM International LEAP-1C integrated propulsion system (engine + nacelle) selected by COMAC for the C919.

Peter Parks / AFP / Safran

Signature between Eric Bachelet, President of CFM International, and Zhang Qingwei, President of COMAC, with the presence of French Prime Minister Mr. François Fillon and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in Beijing on December 21st 2009

Creation of Safran China – Safran (Beijing) Enterprise Management Co, LTD.

• Creation of JV Xi'an SAVI Nacelles Co., Ltd to assemble nacelle components.
• Creation of Suzhou SME-CQ Automotive Safety Technology Co., Ltd to design, produce and sell automotive safety systems.

Opening ceremony of SME-CQ

Creation of Shanghai SAIFEI Aviation EWIS Manufacturing Co., Ltd to develop Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS), in particular for the COMAC C919.

Opening ceremony of SAIFEI

• Opening of Turbomeca Maintenance Center in Tianjin

Safran and AVIC signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning turboprop engines for commercial airplanes, in a ceremony attended by French President François Hollande and the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping. In November, they signed the framework agreement on the creation of a joint entity in China to design, test and produce power turbines and flame tubes for the two parent companies.

Jacques Witt_SIPA Press / Safran

Signature ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Safran and AVIC

All the companies of the Group now share the same logo and their names include the Safran brand name.