Airbus selects 8 locations for H125 helicopter final assembly line in India

MARIGNANE (France):

European major Airbus has selected eight locations in India to set up its final assembly line for H125 helicopters, with the foundation stone for the facility expected to be laid later this year. The facility, which will be the fourth Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the single-engine H125, will initially produce up to 10 helicopters annually and the capacity will be scaled up depending on market demand, Airbus officials said. “India is the market of the future for helicopters… Right now the market is extremely embryonic, it is very small compared to what the potential could be,” said Olivier Michalon, Executive Vice President Global Business of Airbus Helicopters. The foundation stone for the FAL is expected to be laid in October or November this year and the facility is set to be operational in 2026, with deliveries expected to begin by the end of 2026.

“We have identified eight locations that we are currently evaluating. We are still in the final phase of evaluation. We should be able to announce it soon. “We want to be attractive and be in an ecosystem that is best suited for the industrial activities, logistics, employees and of course the regulatory environment,” Michalon said earlier this week at a briefing in Marignane, the headquarters of Airbus Helicopters. For Airbus, the H125 is the most sold helicopter in India and the South Asia region. Airbus has projected demand for H125 helicopters in India and neighbouring countries at 500 over the next 20 years. “We are targeting 10 helicopters per year and as demand increases, we can scale up,” Sunny Guglani, head of Airbus Helicopters in India and South Asia, said at the briefing. Michalon stressed that 10 may not seem like a lot and that in some years it could be 20, 30 or 50 depending on the market demand. “We We produce, sell and support helicopters. We also produce, sell and support solutions. This is what we can offer. Make In India solutions,” he said. Highlighting the success story of its narrow-body A320 aircraft, Michalon said, “H125 is our A320”. H125 can carry up to six people. Airbus is also setting up the FAL for the C295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. There are around 350 civil and para-public helicopters in India and South Asia (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives).

Of these, there are less than 250 helicopters in service in India, according to Airbus. In India, there are about 100 Airbus helicopters, the majority of which are H125 and 130s. There are more than 7,200 H125 helicopters flying around the world. “The FAL in India will not only make us competitive in terms of lead time, delivery time, it will also help us to address the growth of the Indian market and potentially the demand from neighboring countries. “This is an important, strategic decision and it will have an impact on our global footprint,” Michalon said.

A base model of H125 helicopter could cost around 3.2 million euros, a company official said. In India, helicopters are used for tourism, pilgrimage, medical services and by the energy sector and private entities. Once the FAL for H125 helicopters is set up in India, it will take care of the integration of major component assemblies, avionics and mission systems, installation of electrical harnesses, hydraulic circuits, flight controls, dynamic components, fuel system and engine. In addition, the FAL will test, qualify and deliver the H125 to customers in India and the region. Regarding the Indian market, Michalon said that the regulations are a bit restrictive but the company is working as if the regulations will relax a bit and the skies will become more open. “Either we wait until the skies are completely open and then there is a big rush from all the helicopter manufacturers or we show our confidence and recognition potential of India and are ready to invest,” he said.