Orders and deliveries at Airbus Helicopters (Booth 9651) last year fell far below expectations, at a net 333 and 393, respectively, compared to 402 orders and 471 deliveries in 2014. Smaller revenues, although not disclosed, came equally from civil and military activities. CEO Guillaume Faury blamed the reductions on low oil prices and “delays in the key military campaigns.” The company received just two orders for the H225 family, which traditionally sells in the oil-and-gas and defense segments. Against the backdrop of globally dwindling sales, Airbus Helicopters’s claimed share in the civil and parapublic market increased slightly, to 45 percent of deliveries in those segments.
This year Airbus Helicopters will open the orderbook for the H160 medium twin, the second prototype of which has recently flown powered by Turbomeca Arrano engines. An all-new final assembly line with a greater level of automation will be inaugurated for the H160 in the second half of this year. Faury has long been advocating the use of production processes inspired from the automotive sector. Its Marignane Development Centre opens this year, as does a new blade production center of excellence at Paris Le Bourget.
The numbers Airbus released lump together the civil and military versions of its products. But for some models, AIN assumes most (if not all) orders were civil. These include the H120, H125 and H130 light singles (163 orders), the H135 light twin (49) and the H175 super medium twin (36). The H175, however, is currently operated by only one operator–NHV–13 months after its entry into service.
Faury in late January 2015 predicted this would be a year of steady deliveries and brisker orders, while heavy helicopters would keep their increased importance in the mix. Despite the opposite outcome, he stated that the company is “now harvesting the fruit of our strategic transformation plan that puts us in the best position to operate successfully despite a challenging market environment; our focus on customer satisfaction, quality and safety as well as competitiveness has produced tangible results on our journey to go from the biggest to the best.”
For 2015, 53 percent of revenues came from sales of products, with 47 percent generated by services. Improved customer support efforts include the launch of HCare at last year’s Heli-Expo show, which emphasizes “the company’s commitment to keep its customers flying, anytime, anywhere.” Airbus Helicopters also expanded technical support operations with a 24/7/365 hotline for all customers.