Eurocopter India leads Indian civil and parapublic market
Eurocopter subsidiary leads in India with 65% of new helicopter deliveries in 2011
Eurocopter India delivered a strong
performance during the first year of operation as a fully fledged subsidiary,
leading the market with 65% of the aircraft deliveries in 2011.
“Eurocopter has the
honour of being the first helicopter manufacturer to commit to this market with
a full-fledged subsidiary, and we have moved steadily ahead after its creation,”
said Xavier Hay, chief executive of Eurocopter India. “It may be a young
subsidiary, but we already have achieved much, thanks to the experience and
industrial relations that Eurocopter has built up over the last 50 years in India.
We look forward to another half-century of success with our Indian
partners.”
Based on the 2011 record of India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation,
Eurocopter India
delivered nine brand new turbine helicopters out of a total of 14 registered
last year, representing a 65% market share. Out of the nine Eurocopter aircraft
delivered, five were twin-engine helicopters, with the remaining four being the
single-engine AS350 B3.
During the year, Eurocopter
delivered the 10th and final AS365 N3 to Pawan Hans Helicopters in a
deal signed in march 2010. Pawan Hans has 35 Dauphins and is now the largest
operator of type in the world. An EC155 was also delivered to the Madhya
Pradesh government during the year.
Eurocopter India is expanding
its network of Eurocopter-approved maintenance centres, adding Bangalore
to the two existing facilities in New
Delhi and Mumbai.
Giving it a vote of confidence, chief pilot of EON Aviation Captain R S Das
noted that “the opening of the Eurocopter subsidiary in India for supply of spares has
enabled direct interaction between the operator and the OEM, with consequent
reduction in the downtime of the helicopter.” The director of Himalayan Heli
Services, Harsh Vardhan expressed similar sentiments, saying that “the
technical team also based in the Delhi
office, work in tandem with our engineers and are greatly helpful in the
trouble shooting of any technical problem that we may have faced.”
“Our achievements in the first year of operations augur well for Eurocopter India’s future
in this high-growth market. The bookings that we received in the first quarter
of 2012 is an encouraging sign that we will end the year on a high note,” Hay
concluded.
At India Aviation 2012, Eurocopter will be displaying an AS350 B3e and EC130 T2
along with an AS365 N3 Dauphin on the stand in the exhibition hall. On static
display will be a corporate version of the EC135, as well as the AS350 B3.
