H135

A Chinese consortium comprising China Aviation Supplies (CAS), Qingdao United General Aviation Industrial Development Company (Qingdao United) and CITIC Offshore Helicopter (COHC) has finalised an order to buy 100 H135 light-twin helicopters from Airbus Helicopters.

The deal completes a letter of intent signed last October for a €700m order.

The agreement has also allowed Airbus Helicopters to build a H135 final assembly line (FAL) in Qingdao, Shandong, China.

Scheduled to be operational by 2018, the FAL will assemble 100 H135s over the next ten years.

Airbus Helicopters China and North Asia region head Norbert Ducrot said: "With the further opening up of the Chinese skies and the increasing growth in the civil and parapublic segments, China is gearing up to be the biggest market for helicopters in years to come.

"With their inherent versatility and reliability, these 100 H135s will be best suited to meet the soaring demand in China."

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In recent years, the H135 aircraft has been involved in various parapublic missions, including helicopter emergency medical services, law enforcement, firefighting, patrol command, search-and-rescue, and corporate missions such as tourism and transportation in China.

"With their inherent versatility and reliability, these 100 H135s will be best suited to meet the soaring demand in China."

The fast growing offshore wind power generation industry in China has also opened up a new market segment for helicopter operations.

The H135 features a small rotor diameter, an optimised cabin size and provides twin-engine performance.

Airbus Helicopters noted that together with the growth of other segments, a potential demand of 600 light twin-engine helicopters is expected over the next two decades.

Around 1,200 H135s have already been delivered worldwide.

Image: Scheduled to be operational by 2018, the FAL in China will assemble 100 H135s over the next ten years. Photo: courtesy of Airbus Helicopters.