In an acceptance ceremony held today in Marignane, India’s Heritage Aviation received two H125 helicopters acquired for charter and utility missions, with a special focus on pilgrimage heli-tours. The first H125 will arrive in India by the end of the month, followed by the second in early May.

Heritage Aviation has been operating at pilgrimage sites in India with leased aircraft in the past. After operating various types of single-engine helicopters for the past seven years, Heritage Aviation selected the H125 to be part of its permanent fleet.

“Based on feedback of our pilots and customers, the H125 has been one of the most popular aircraft especially for visits to temples on high grounds,” said Rohit Mathur, CEO of Heritage Aviation. “Passengers find the flights stable, assuring and comfortable; while pilots like the ease of flying it at high altitudes and in hilly areas.”

Pilgrim tourism in India has seen an increasing number of people opting for the safer and more convenient option of helicopter travel over road transport and trekking. The H125 has been frequently used to fly tourists to places such as Kedarnath and Badrinath. It is also being used extensively for passenger transport at Amarnath and Vaishno Devi shrines in the States of Jammu & Kashmir.

“We are grateful to Heritage Aviation for selecting the H125 – it is a great testimony to the helicopter’s capabilities as they have experienced it first-hand before making a decision,” said Xavier Hay, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters’ Customer Center in India. “The H125 is a highly versatile and cost-efficient helicopter that can be seen performing a wide range of missions across India today.”

The H125 is well-known in India as the AS350 Ecureuil before its renaming last month. It has been playing an instrumental role in many key sectors that Airbus Helicopters has been working hard to develop in India, including geophysical surveys, power grid management, electronic news gathering, emergency medical services, law enforcement and border patrol.

A class-leading helicopter recognized for its excellent performance in high and hot conditions with low operating costs, this rotorcraft holds an impressive 65% fleet share in the single-engine sector in India today.

Airbus Helicopters press release