First H135 delivered to China

Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first of 100 H135 helicopters to the Health Commission of Qingdao in the Chinese province Shandong. The deliveries are part of a framework agreement signed between China and Airbus in 2016.

The helicopter is fully configured for HEMS operations and will be utilised in Qingdao and the surrounding area. The helicopter also comes equipped with Airbus’s latest generation Helionix avionics suite, which increases safety and decreases pilot workload.

Five of the 100 helicopters, including the recently delivered aircraft, are being assembled at Donauwörth, Germany. The rest of the 95 will be assembled in Qingdao, and so Chinese final assembly line employees have been given on-the-job training from their German counterparts in the Donauwörth factory.

“This delivery represents the first of many milestones supporting our commitment to serve the Chinese market with H135s made in Qingdao,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “We are proud of our ambitious 50-year partnership with China and cannot imagine a better way to kick off our next 50 years together.”

Currently, there are approximately 280 Airbus helicopters in service in China, operated by 75 customers. Airbus says it is committed to working hand-in-hand with Chinese administration, private operators and industrial partners to meet the rotorcraft needs of this growing market.