Airbus sells its first ACH160

Airbus Helicopters has sold the first of its new ACH160 corporate helicopters.

The unnamed  North American business will be the launch customer for the ACH160. The helicopter will be outfitted in Airbus Corporate Helicopters ‘Stylence’ configuration and the remaining three will be delivered in the in-house exclusive configuration.

“With the launch of Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) last year, now followed by the first order of this new-generation helicopter by a corporate customer, the ACH160 is set to revolutionise the way our private and business aviation customers travel,” said Ben Bridge, executive vice president global business at Airbus Helicopters.

The customer demonstrated the helicopter at ACH’s company headquarters in Marignane, France. The customer committed to the four-aircraft order after the demo.

“The H160 is set to become a market reference for private and business aviation, for air medical services and for passenger transport in North America, revolutionising the way our customers travel,” said Chris Emerson, president of Airbus Helicopters and head of the North American region.  “We look forward to supporting our customers as they gear up to operate this new-generation helicopter.”

Airbus Corporate Helicopters launched last year and is promising a business jet-like passenger experience to customers, with lower noise levels and smooth flight.

Speaking to Frederic Lemos, head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters at Helicopter Investor London 2018 last month, said that the ACH160 fills a gap in ACH’s portfolio – the super-medium VIP helicopter.

“The ACH160 is generating a lot of interest but we have not started to deliver on orders. This is the first quarter we are starting to enter into contracts.

“The market is expecting something else, with the competition introducing new products, and that is the ACH 160. This is the gap in the super-medium market we need to fill.” – he added.