Eurocopter registers 114 Orders at Paris Air Show, confirming its international Market Success

Eurocopter logged record bookings for a total of 114 helicopters at this year’s Paris Air Show. The combined value of the contracts signed at the show amounts to over € 1.2 billion. The spectrum of customers placing new orders in Paris ranged from governments booking for military aircraft, to commercial operators in the oil and gas industry, in emergency medical services, training, VIP/corporate as well as utility and tourist missions, and covered almost the entire product line of Eurocopter. With the remarkable sales success achieved at the show, Eurocopter aims at achieving around 700 bookings by year-end.

Strong confidence was displayed in the NH90, Europe’s largest military helicopter program. Germany signed a contract for an additional 42 NH90s in the TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) version on top of its existing order for 80, while Belgium as a first-time customer ordered eight – four in the TTH and four in the NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) variants – with options for two additional aircraft. At the same time, Sweden took delivery of its first TTH in the high-cabin variant at the Paris show.

A further military signature was a contract with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence for the Assessment Phase of the life extension program for up to 35 of the RAF’s Puma Mk 1 helicopters.

Commercial and private sales from various market segments across the entire Eurocopter product line accounted for 64 aircraft, from the single-engine Ecureuil family, light and medium twins up to the heavy EC225 types. This includes firm contracts for 94 and Memoranda of Understanding for another 20 aircraft to be confirmed shortly after the show.

On the customer service side, Eurocopter Vostok signed an agreement with Sky Service of Almaty to set up a maintenance center in Kazakhstan.

In total, customers from 18 countries visited Eurocopter at the Paris show to sign contracts and agreements.

The strong attendance of military and civil helicopter operators and high number of bookings underline the current strength of the worldwide helicopter market in all segments, and Eurocopter’s unique position to be able to offer suitable aircraft types and service packages for almost every mission.

Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 14,000 people. In 2006, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 3.8 billion euros, orders for 615 new helicopters, and a 52% percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s products account for 30% percent of the total world helicopter fleet. Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 17 subsidiaries on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centres. More than 9,800 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in service with over 2,800 customers in 140 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.

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