Houston, TX, 24 February 2008
Heli-Expo 2008 - American Eurocopter marked the delivery of the first EC225 in the United States today during a ceremony at the Eurocopter booth at Heli-Expo 2008. The helicopter was delivered to Era Helicopters LLC, a subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CKH). Era Helicopters will take delivery of three additional EC225’s this year, two in 2009 and two more in 2010.
The EC225 is a heavy twin-turbine helicopter that offers superior speed, range, payload and reliability. The EC225 draws on unequalled experience with over 2.3 million flight hours on the Super Puma family of helicopters. It features the latest-technology and all-weather flying capabilities including flight in the most severe icing conditions.
“The market leading performance of the EC225 allows our customers more productivity, which results in greater value,” explained Marc Paganini, President and CEO of American Eurocopter. “This is just the first delivery of an EC225 and we look forward to providing more to the U.S. market.”
“The EC225 is a powerful heavy twin helicopter and it gives Era the competitive advantage to carry more passengers further and faster,” said David Stepanek, Vice President Business Development at Era Helicopters. “We are excited to be introducing the EC225 into the Gulf of Mexico as we continue our efforts to meet the demand for ‘heavies’ as exploration and production push further offshore.”
The EC225 is equipped with two Turbomeca Makila 2A turbine engines and FADEC digital engine control with dual duplex channels that insure the highest level of reliability. The main gearbox of the EC225 has been reinforced in order to meet the aircraft's increased power and gross weight and features a 30 minute dry-run capability.
The first Era EC225 is on display at Eurocopter’s exhibit, booth 631 at Heli-Expo 2008.
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 2007, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market, with a turnover exceeding 4 billion Euros, orders for 802 new helicopters, and a 53 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 10,000 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.
For more information, please contact:
| Cécile VION-LANCTUIT | Eurocopter |
Tel.: +33 (0)4 42 85 60 51 mailto: cecile.vion-lanctuit@eurocopter.com |
| Christina GOTZHEIN | Eurocopter |
Tel.: + 49 (0) 89 60 00 64 88 mailto: christina.gotzhein@eurocopter.com |
| Pekkee SUM | Eurocopter |
Tel.: +33 (0)4 42 85 17 13 mailto: Pek-Kee.Sum@eurocopter.com |
| José M. RUBIO | Eurocopter |
Tel.: +34 (0)91 379 66 04 mailto: jose-maria.rubio@eurocopter.com |
| www.eurocopter.com |
