In response to growth in the Asia Pacific market, Airbus Helicopters is upgrading its Singapore assembly facility into a so-called center of excellence for assembly and delivery of aircraft. At this week’s Rotorcraft Asia show in Singapore, the Europe-based manufacturer announced plans to expand its market share in that part of the world, signaling its intent with new business announcements.
On Tuesday, Philippines-based operator PhilJets group ordered an H145 twin-engine model and a pair of H135 singles. The aircraft are due to be delivered in the final quarter of this year and will be used for the customer’s executive and VIP charter services. The deal will make PhilJets the largest Airbus Helicopters customer in Asia. It already operates four H130s, one EC130B4 and an AS350B2.
“The Philippines civil market remains fragmented with a multitude of medium and small operators, and numerous individual owners operating one to two helicopters each at most,” said Thierry Tea, founder and CEO of PhilJets Group.
Separately, Airbus Helicopters signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore Post to develop and conduct trials of the Skyways project that could see unmanned aircraft used to deliver mail and packages. The agreement was signed by Jean-Brice Dumont, Airbus Helicopters' vice president of engineering and chief technical officer, and Mervyn Lim, Singapore Post group CEO.
Skyways is an experimental project to develop a safe first-mile and last-mile autonomous drone delivery system. Airbus Helicopters will act as the system architect and Singapore Post will provide expertise in the logistics of the delivery process.
Airbus has designed the proposed octocopter drone from scratch to be capable of carrying loads approximately two to four kilograms (2.2 to 4.4 pounds). Two prototypes are currently undergoing tests in France and another in Singapore. Some trial areas include the delivery of parcels within the hilly National University of Singapore campus and connecting a parcel station on the mainland to ships moored off the coast.
Singapore Post and Airbus signed an initial MoU for the program at the 2016 Singapore Airshow. Dumont indicated that the partners intend to achieve the next significant milestone by the next Singapore Airshow in February 2018.
Airbus told reporters that it expects the Asia Pacific region to account for one-third of the global market for rotorcraft within a decade, over which period it anticipates deliveries of at least 1,000 new aircraft.
According to Philippe Monteux, Airbus Helicopters’ senior vice president and head of Southeast Asia and Pacific, the change in role for its Singapore customer center is part of a wider reorganization in the region. The company’s facility at Subang in Malaysia is now focused on maintenance, repair and overhaul work.
“We have close partnerships with many firms here, and Singapore is the right platform to continue in the right direction,” said Monteux. “We can also find the people with the best skills from the market here.”
It will take until early 2018 to complete the process of upgrading the Singapore facility’s center of excellence. It will be involved in work such as customizing aircraft to meet the requirements of Asian operators, installing hardware such as HF radios, VIP cabin interiors and emergency medical equipment.