China’s Skyco International Leasing Co. Ltd has ordered six of Airbus’ H175 helicopters to be used for offshore industry support flights. Signed on Friday, the contract is a follow-up to the six-unit H175 order the company placed in early 2024 for emergency management and public service applications in Guangdong province.
The latest batch of H175s joining the Skyco portfolio will be leased and operated by helicopter group China Southern Airlines General Aviation (CSAGA) for energy industry contracts. CSAGA has been using U.S.-made Sikorsky S-92A rotorcraft for offshore operations, which is a sector increasingly being targeted by Europe-based Airbus with its super-medium twin H175 model. The U.S. and China are working towards an August 12 deadline to reach a trade deal that is needed to avoid tariffs on imports that could exceed 100% based on past declarations.
Guangzhou-based Skyco is a public-private joint venture between the Guangdong Airport Authority and various local and international investors. CSAGA is the helicopter division of China Southern Airlines, and it is also assessing EHang’s EH216-S autonomous eVTOL for a variety of applications.
To date, Airbus has delivered 71 H175s, and the aircraft already in service have logged 250,000 flight hours since the model entered the market in 2014.