Falcon Aviation and Airbus Helicopters have signed a new MoU at last week’s Dubai airshow expanding their commitment to the H160 adding three additional helicopters to the original Letter Of Intent (LOI) signed in May 2016.
“We took the decision to increase our request following a flight demonstration where we got the opportunity to test the H160’s excellent passenger flight experience first-hand. The H160 definitely meets our demanding standards for VIP travelling in terms of comfort,” said Capt. Raman Oberoi, COO of Falcon Aviation.
“We are proud that Falcon Aviation has chosen to confirm its trust placed into our latest product. We are sure that the H160’s high level of innovation providing unrivalled comfort with low sound levels and excellent stability alongside its exclusive interior design will be an asset to Falcon Aviation’s operations,” said Timothee Cargill, Senior Vice President and Head of Middle East and Africa at Airbus Helicopters.
The H160, with three prototypes now in flight testing, is currently preparing certification and entry into service in 2019. The helicopter’s final assembly line in Marignane, France is also in the final stages of preparation and will be ready to start serial production shortly. Customer support activities are being developed in parallel thanks to the extensive involvement of maintenance teams, through the operator zero campaign, using the prototypes and test means to check and improve the maintenance plan, digital work cards and technical documentation, and tooling etc. ahead of actual operations.
The first version to enter service in 2019 will be the passenger transport one - commercial air transport or Oil and Gas, followed by the emergency medical services (EMS) version, with the VIP version scheduled for 2021.
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016 it generated revenues of €67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats and business aviation products.
Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies.
In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.
