European major Airbus has shortlisted eight sites in India to set up its final assembly line for H125 helicopters and the ground-breaking ceremony for the facility is expected to take place later this year.
Airbus officials said the facility, which will be the fourth final assembly line (FAL) for the single-engine H125, will initially produce 10 helicopters annually and the capacity will be increased depending on market demand.
“India is the future market for helicopters… Currently, the market is extremely nascent, very small compared to what the potential could be,” said Oliver Michelon, executive vice president, Global Business, Airbus Helicopters.
The foundation stone laying ceremony for FAL is expected to take place in October or November this year and the facility will be commissioned in 2026 and deliveries are expected to begin by the end of 2026.
“We have identified eight sites which we are currently evaluating. We are still in the final evaluation stage. We should be in a position to declare it soon.
“We want to be attractive and live in an ecosystem that best suits industrial activities, logistics, employees and of course regulations,” Michelon said at a briefing in Marignane earlier this week. Marignane is the headquarters of Airbus Helicopters. For Airbus, the H125 is the best-selling helicopter in India as well as in the South Asia region.
Airbus estimates the demand for H125 helicopters in India and neighboring countries to be 500 over the next 20 years. Sunny Guglani, head of Airbus Helicopters in India and South Asia, said at the briefing that “We are targeting 10 helicopters per year and we can increase as the demand increases,” .
Michelon stressed that 10 may not sound like a lot and that in a few years it could be 20, 30 or 50, depending on market demand. “We manufacture, sell and support helicopters. In addition, we build, sell and support solutions. This is what we can provide. Make in India solution,” he said. Highlighting the success story of its narrow-body A320 aircraft, Michelon said, “The H125 is our A320”.
The H125 can carry up to six people. Airbus is also installing the FAL for the C295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. There are about 350 civil and parapublic helicopters in India and South Asia (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives). According to Airbus, less than 250 of those helicopters are in service in India. In India, there are around 100 Airbus helicopters, most of which are H125 and 130.
More than 7,200 H125 helicopters are flying around the world.
Michelon said that “This is an important, strategic decision and will have an impact on our global footprint,” . According to a company official, a basic model of the H125 helicopter could cost around 3.2 million euros.
Regarding the Indian market, Michelon said that the rules are a bit restrictive but the company is acting as if those rules will become a little lighter and the sky will become more open.
He said that, “Either we wait for the skies to open completely and then there is a huge rush of all helicopter manufacturers or we show our confidence and recognition capability towards India and be ready for investment.”
