HI Uplift: Airbus opens new UK home with royal visitor and a pledge

Royally treated: the prince toured the new facility with Lenny Brown, MD, Airbus Helicopters UK.
Airbus has celebrated the opening of its new £55m headquarters for Airbus Helicopters UK with a commitment to long-term industry support in the country, as it welcomed a royal visitor to the facility at London Oxford Airport.
Marking 50 years of operation in the UK, Bruno Even, CEO, Airbus Helicopters told us: “We are committed in the long term to our [helicopter] industry market particularly in the UK. The reason we are in the UK and have made this investment is directly related to this long-term view.” Airbus enjoyed long-lasting operations in the civil, military and government markets, he added.
The £55m investment in the new facility, in partnership with London Oxford Airport, was motivated by the desire to offer the best possible customer support and was unrelated to the UK’s decision to leave the EU. “The reason we invest independently from Brexit is to be close to our customer and to provide the best support and services to be competitive. That’s the rationale and there’s no direct link with Brexit,” he told Helicopter Investor.
The company has left its old 1940’s era premises on the western side of the airport to take up new office and hangarage facilities on the eastern side of the site. The new facility includes nearly 126,000sqft (11,700sqm) of hangar space dedicated to helicopter maintenance, retrofits and completions for both civil and military aircraft.
The new capacity is needed at the Oxford Airport facility as Airbus Helicopters wins more business, according to the manufacturer. “The good news is that in this helicopter market, we are gaining market share, so it means we are ramping up in terms of helicopter deliveries and helicopter production,” Even told us.
‘Not a walk in the park’
While supply chain challenges continue to plague the industry, Airbus Helicopters claims success in mitigating their effects. “Like most of the aerospace industry since Covid, we are facing the challenge of the supply chain,” he said. “But we manage it by leveraging the relationship we have with our suppliers. We do what we need to do to support our suppliers to be able to deliver to our customers I’m not saying it’s a walk in the park, but, so far, we are minimising the impact on customers.”
Highlighting the value Airbus attaches to its UK business, Even described the UK as “one of our [Airbus’s] home countries.” Airbus supplies about half of all the turbine helicopters in the UK. The manufacturer also accounts for 65% of UK air ambulance helicopters.
The company’s role at Oxford Airport is not limited to completions and maintenance. “We have our own design office here, developing complex solutions for customers with highly technical equipment requirements on their aircraft,” said Even. “And we provide training for pilots and engineers for domestic and international customers.” All UK military rotary pilots and rear crews learn to fly on one of Airbus’s fleet of 36 Junos and Jupiters in the Military Flight Training System.
In addition to helicopter completions and maintenance, repair and overall (MRO), Airbus also makes wings for its current generation of passenger aircraft in the UK. And it designs the next generation of wings in the country.
50% lower carbon emissions
Focusing on the facility’s green credentials, Airbus said the new building has 50% lower carbon emissions than its previous base. This is attributed to its sophisticated lighting, climate control and construction techniques. Outside the hangar are eight landing pads able to accept all models of Airbus helicopters, including the largest model.
Airbus also pledged to use a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend to power all flight operations at the airport – matching the same commitment at its facilities in Marignane, southern France and Donauworth, southern Germany.
Picking up the theme of Airbus’s commitment to British industry, John Harrison, chairman, Airbus UK pledged to help develop the next generation of aerospace professionals. “We have trained nearly 200 technical helicopter apprentices here in the UK over the years,” he said. “In fact, we have trained more than 4,000 apprentices across all of our divisions over the last 10 years.” Airbus’s total UK workforce numbers 12,000 including nearly 450 employees working in helicopters.
‘Helicopters used by our police’
Speaking on behalf of the UK government, Abena Oppong-Asare, Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office welcomed investment in the facility. “Helicopters are an important part of how we remain resilient and secure,” she told the audience. “Whether that’s the professional service of an ambulance or the making of helicopters used by our police and security forces to keep the public safe. Airbus is an important part of that story.”
Meanwhile, the official opening last week drew former emergency services helicopter pilot, the Prince of Wales. During his visit, the Prince checked out the cockpit of a newly-delivered Airbus H135 helicopter, scheduled to start service with the London’s Air Ambulance Charity next month.
It must have been a familiar environment for the royal, who has served as an RAF search and rescue pilot in addition to flying missions for the East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017. He is currently the air ambulance charity’s Royal Patron.
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HI Uplift Dashboard: Helicopters for sale
Multi engine
- Total for sale/lease: 310 – four fewer than last week
- Percentage for sale/lease: 4.19
- Absorption rate: 5.38
- Total fleet: 7,396 – the same as last week.
Single engine
- Total for sale/lease: 414 – three more than last week
- Percentage for sale/lease: 3.61
- Absorption rate: 3.81
- Total fleet: 11,470 – seven fewer than last week.
Source: Amstat, September 19th, 2024.