123 helicopters purchased from Airbus by Chinese firms

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-07-10

A Bavarian State Police EC-135 helicopter in Germany. (Internet photo)

Three Chinese companies signed a contract on July 7 to purchase 123 helicopters from Airbus' helicopter branch during the visit by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, according to Reuters.

"We are grateful to the operators for selecting Airbus Helicopters to be their partner in developing the general aviation market to serve China's needs," said Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. Two types of helicopters including the light single-engine helicopters from Airbus Helicopters' Ecureuil family and the light twin-engine EC135 will be purchased by the Chinese firms according to the report.

Our sister newspaper China Times said that Guangdong Baiyun General Aviation Company purchased 50 helicopters while the Yunnan Fengxiang General Aviation Company bought 18 and Fujian Xinmei General Aviation Company bought 55. The Chinese helicopter market is growing at a rapid speed, as Airbus had previously predicted. Currently, 800 civilian helicopters are purchased annually on the global market, while China buys only 50 on average.

This number is expected to grow gradually by 2020 according to Airbus, after which China is expected to buy around 200 civilian helicopters each year.

"It is evident that China’s relaxation of its low-altitude airspace regulations is enabling the country's burgeoning helicopter market to realize its potential," said Faury.

The Chinese market for helicopters is predicted to be worth US$68 million over the next 20 years, according to the company, which is jointly owned by France and Germany.