Airbus Helicopters delivered 497 helicopters in 2013

Guillaume Faury, president of Airbus Helicopters addressing the press during the 2014 briefing

The president of Airbus Helicopters sets out the plans for the recently re-branded helicopter subsidiary of the Airbus Group.

Guillaume Faury, president of Airbus Helicopters addressing the press during the 2014 briefing.

Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter) announced that it delivered 497 helicopters in 2013 and stated its plans for 2014.

Guillaume Faury president of Airbus Helicopters, said that civil helicopter activities accounted for 55 per cent of the company’s turnover in 2013 and that 72 per cent of deliveries of Airbus Helicopters were to customers outside the home countries of France, Germany and Spain.

Renamed and re-branded earlier in 2014, Faury opened the company’s annual press briefing with the news of the certification of the EC175 helicopter and the implementation of an ambitious customer-driven transformation plan for the company.

“We enter 2014 with a transformation plan that is being applied across the company and responds to customers’ evolving expectations,” said Faury. “In parallel, the Airbus Helicopters rebranding provides a reference for greater ambition, inspired by the Airbus Group’s values and excellence.”

Airbus Helicopters will begin delivering the EC130 T2 this year, with the Vision 1000 data monitoring and cockpit imaging system, which follows its pioneering use on AS350 Ecureuil family of helicopters.

The company also expects to start delivering the new EC175, which will be fitted with the new Helionix avionics. There are 15 EC175s currently on the production line under construction. The launch customers for the EC175 are NHV, Heli-Union and UTair, all should get their first aircraft in the second half of the year.

Also to be certified in 2014 is Airbus Helicopters’ new EC145 T2, which incorporates Helionix avionics.