Airbus Helicopters looks back on a busy 2020
In 2020, Airbus Helicopters logged 289 gross orders (net: 268) in a challenging market heavily impacted by the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic
Additionally, the company delivered 300 rotorcraft worldwide despite the pandemic travel restrictions, resulting in a stable 48 per cent share of the civil and parapublic market, and thus allowing Airbus Helicopters to maintain its market-leading position thanks to its wide range of competitive products designed to enable customers to perform a multitude of missions.
“I am proud of our teams all over the world who adapted their ways of working to be there for our customers when they needed us the most, striving to help them to maintain their essential missions across the globe by delivering helicopters and the associated support and services they required. I would like to thank our customers for their continued trust in Airbus Helicopters,” said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO. “We certified the five-bladed H145 and the H160 and laid solid foundations for our pursuit of zero-emission technologies with our CityAirbus demonstrator.”
Key deliveries include several air ambulances
Key deliveries in 2020 included the first five-bladed H145 to launch customer Norsk Luftambulanse, a helicopter emergency medical services operator, at the end of September, followed by deliveries to DRF Luftrettung at the end of the year. On the heavy side, the first H225Ms were handed over to the Kuwait Air Force, as well as the first NH90s for the Spanish Air Force. September also saw the 463rd delivery – on time, on cost, and on quality – of an UH-72A Lakota from the Airbus Helicopters factory in Columbus, Mississippi.
Order highlights for 2020 consist of 84 helicopters for the best-selling H145, including 17 UH-72B for the US Army, the first Fenestron and Helionix-equipped versions to be ordered. The H135 achieved solid sales with 33 units and received the EASA certification of an alternate gross weight, as well as a new single-pilot IFR cockpit layout at the end of 2020. Milestone Aviation and Heli-Union both became new customers for the multi-mission H160, ordered to address a wide range of missions, including offshore transportation.
Clara Bullock
Clara Bullock is a writer for ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue. Initially a freelance writer for publications ranging from gardening news to music magazines, she has made the transition to writing about the ins and outs of travel insurance and aeromedicine. In her spare time she reviews books on Instagram and eats pasta.