Airbus to ramp up H125 helicopter production in India to 10 by 2029

Bullish on the growth potential of the Indian market, aerospace major Airbus plans to produce 10 H125 helicopters annually from the final assembly line, established in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems in Karnataka, by 2029.

Asserting that helicopters can be a tool for "nation building", as well as public services, Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even said efforts would continue to contribute to the development of the ecosystem in India.

"We strongly believe in the potential of the helicopter market in India... we strongly believe that H125 helicopters can be a key enabler to boost this civil helicopter market in India," Even told PTI in an interview in the national capital.

Airbus, along with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), has set up the country's first private sector helicopter Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the H125 at Vemagal in Karnataka.

On February 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron virtually inaugurated the facility.

According to Even, the first helicopter from the FAL is expected to be delivered in early 2027, and the annual production would be ramped up to 10 helicopters by 2029.

The helicopters from the FAL would also be exported to countries in the South Asia region.

The company would also look at making the military variant of H125 at the facility.

A member of the Acureuil family, H125 is a best-selling single-engine helicopter and has accumulated more than 40 million flight hours worldwide. It is also the most popular helicopter in India and South Asia, and the only helicopter in history to have landed on the summit of Mount Everest, according to Airbus.

By building the civil H125 and potentially its military variant H125M in Vemagal, Tata and Airbus are ensuring that Indian operators have immediate access to world-class technology with localised maintenance and lifecycle support, maximising helicopter availability, a release said on February 17.

In response to a query regarding financing for helicopters, Even said Airbus would look to facilitate discussions around financial solutions for helicopter customers in India.

"We are convinced that a helicopter is a tool for nation building... a helicopter can play a key role for the public services," he said, adding that they can also be used for regional connectivity, critical missions and disaster management.

At present, the density is low in terms of helicopter use in the country.

On the civil operations side, more than 100 Airbus helicopters, including H125, H130, H135, Dauphin and H145, are in service with operators in different sectors in India. Airbus Helicopters was the first foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to establish a dedicated customer centre for the Indian market in 2010, as per its website.

Meanwhile, Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd already have an FAL for C295 military transport aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat.

Airbus has a significant presence in India and sources components and services worth over USD 1.5 billion annually from the country. These include complex aerostructures and systems.