Airbus Helicopters concluded Heli-Expo 2020 with orders for dozens of new helicopters, including for 15 H145 medium twins from Germany’s DRF Luftrettung air ambulance service, 12 EC145e twins from Metro Aviation, and 16 H125s from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service. In addition, Airbus Helicopters detailed orders from NASA for three H135s in a first from the space agency. NASA will use its helicopters for security, emergency medical services, and other support missions. Meanwhile, Ascent Helicopters signed on for another H125.
On the support and services side, Airbus secured numerous global support contracts, including from Papillon, Heliportugal, and DRF Luftrettung, which extended its HCare Smart contract for another eight years. Helitour operator Maverick Helicopters announced it will retrofit its entire fleet of 34 EC130 B4 helicopters with the Airbus Crash Resistant Fuel System. Airbus also unveiled its new collaborative AirbusWorld customer portal and online marketplace. That comes as Airbus nearly doubled the number of helicopters now sharing flight and maintenance data with the company in just one year.
“We are honored by the trust that our first-time and returning customers place in our aircraft and support solutions, which has been confirmed once again at this year’s Heli-Expo,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even. At the show, he announced that Airbus Helicopter’s installed fleet had amassed 100 million flight hours.