Airbus Helicopters will introduce a new VIP customer at Heli-Expo on March 8 as evidence of its growing success in convincing newcomers to the benefits of rotorcraft transportation. “We signed contracts with 20 new customers last year, and seven of these have never before operated helicopters,” Airbus Helicopters Inc. president Chris Emerson told a press conference at the show on March 7.
According to the Europe-based manufacturer, the renewed emphasis on all aspects of customer support under the HCare initiatives, introduced by Airbus Helicopter group CEO Guillaume Faury, has been another key factor in improved sales. “It’s all about listening to the expectations of new customers and responding to their needs,” Emerson explained. “Our new VIP customer, for instance, is taking our new ab initio training.”
Faury told reporters that Airbus is now focusing intently on using helicopters to provide more efficient transportation for businesses and individuals needing to move around and between congested cities. “Our new City Airbus program is about using new technology to bring this concept to life,” he said.
The Airbus exhibit at Heli-Expo is packed with rotorcraft and evidence of its customer support investments. One significant product that can’t be in Dallas this week is the new H160 twin, which is busy with flight certification work in France. Two prototypes of the aircraft introduced at last year’s show in Louisville, Kentucky, have now logged just over 360 flights.
Other celebrities expected at the Airbus exhibit this week are members of the Dallas Cowboys football team, which uses an H145 to move between their various facilities in Texas.