Airbus Helicopters showcased its best-selling light singles and light twins during Heli-Expo 2017 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. The H125, H130, H135, and the H145, on display at the show, represented 351 bookings for Airbus Helicopters in 2016, and accounted for a vast majority of the deliveries of the civil helicopter market last year.
“This year’s Heli-Expo has shown that 2017 is already off to a good start for our best-selling products, with orders for about 60 helicopters including the H125, H135, H145, and H175 announced at the show”, said Guillaume Faury, Airbus Helicopters CEO.
Milestone Aviation Group Limited announced a €200 million firm order for H135, H145 and H175 helicopters, while Waypoint Leasing (Ireland) Limited committed to ordering an additional 16 Airbus helicopters including the H135, H145 and adding the H175 to its order book for the first time.
Absent from the show floor as it’s working hard on the field, the H175 has recently seen its maximum take-off weight being extended to 7.8 tonnes, allowing customers to benefit from an additional payload of 300 kg or an extra 40NM radius of action. Launch customer NHV also celebrated its 10,000 flight hours with the H175 on the Airbus Helicopters’ booth during the show.
At Heli-Expo this year, Airbus Helicopters introduced the H135 equipped with the Helionix digital avionics suite. STAT MedEvac will soon be the first air medical transport service in North America to operate this type, following an order for three new H135s announced at the show. The Helionix-equipped H135 will soon be leaving Dallas for a demo tour of the US and Mexico.
The H125 also saw continued success with REACH Air Medical Services, a subsidiary of Air Medical Group Holdings, placing an order for five new Airbus H125s. Ruo’er General Aviation Development Group (Ruo’er Group), one of the biggest general aviation companies operating flight support base and airport with comprehensive services in China, signed a letter of intent for a total of 12 H125s with a first confirmed order of four aircraft.
Another highlight of the show was Airbus Helicopters’ Voice of the Customer where the U.S. Coast Guard celebrated 30-plus years of collaboration with Airbus, as well as the milestone of 1.5 million flight hours on the MH-65 Dolphin. Also, two new VIP customers related their experiences operating Airbus helicopters and working with the Airbus Helicopters Inc. team.
“We’re very proud to have customers like Dallas Cowboys Owner and CEO Jerry Jones as well as oil business executive Mike Wallace testify to their satisfaction with our products and customer service, and share their Airbus experience with everyone,” said Chris Emerson, President of Airbus Helicopters Inc.
Ever committed to improving customer satisfaction, Airbus Helicopters announced at the show that its efforts in this domain are paying off with a recent independent survey confirming a significant reduction in direct maintenance and direct operating costs (DMC and DOC) for the H125, H130 and H135 helicopters, further strengthening the competitiveness of these types.
Press release and picture Airbus Helicopter
