Page 19 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2013 Online Magazine

FEATURE CHINA HELICOPTERS

Late starter when it became the first company to offer Eurocopter China’s Boulnois agrees.
Some pinpoint the devastating charter services in Beijing. “Early entrants in the market like
earthquake in Sichuan province in May Xu Lidong, President of Capital Eurocopter continue to step up our efforts
2008 as the event that really propelled Helicopter, recently told China Daily in expanding our industrial footprint,
helicopters into the limelight in China, that while most of its revenue comes which brings about economic and
turning disaster relief, search and rescue, from power-line inspection, geophysical industrial benefits to the country. Just last
and aeromedical operations into major survey, and high-end travel and mineral year, Eurocopter joined hands with Tianjin
growth areas for the industry. Following prospecting work, he hopes the charter Free Trade Zone to set up a completion
the quake, Chinese authorities became sector will account for 20 percent of total centre in Tianjin for the Ecureuil family of
interested in acquiring suitable SAR and revenue in the near future. light helicopters,” he says.
medevac helicopters, particularly for “Although the charter business is not “This light helicopter range has
remote areas of western China, where our biggest cash generator, we expect it proven to be very popular in China
the challenging terrain, often-extreme to be the major one very soon,” Xu said. because of its versatility to be used for a
climatic conditions, and undeveloped “In the US, there are about 250,000 planes variety of missions, including utility and
infrastructure make helicopters an (including helicopters) dedicated to the aerial work, heli-tours and private and
essential part of the public service mix. charter business, but in China the number business aviation,” he explains. “Having
The Beijing Olympics in 2008 saw is just a fraction of that, which doesn’t the honour of being the only helicopter
police and other public security services match our economic scale.” to have successfully landed at the top of
taking to helicopters, a trend that is Meanwhile in Shanghai, the five-star Mount Everest in 2005, the Ecureuil is
expected to continue growing in line with Peninsula Shanghai hotel has drawn up today one of the most popular civil turbine
international developments in this sector. plans to offer guests helicopter charter helicopters in China.” There are currently
Meanwhile, demand for larger rotorcraft flights over the city’s historic Bund district. 30 Ecureuils operating in China, and
capable of power grid construction and At present, the city’s foray into helicopters Boulnois says Eurocopter expects more
maintenance of offshore wind turbines, is restricted to police, medevac and orders in the coming years.
laying and monitoring gas pipelines, rescue, with experts arguing that the city’s “We built our foundation in the
agriculture and livestock management, crowded skyline presents a challenge to country decades ago, with industrial co-
and firefighting operations in forested would-be operators. While navigating the operations dating back since the 1980s.
areas continues to grow. bureaucratic process is expected to take Over the years, we concentrated on
“We expect that the single- and twin- time, if approval is eventually granted, expanding our footprint in China not only
turbine segments will experience faster business is likely to be lucrative. through industrial co-operations, but also
growth only after the more urgent need physical presence through the setting up
for intermediate, twin-turbine, and heavy- Joining hands of our full-fledged subsidiary, Eurocopter
lift helicopters is filled,” says Matthieu Avia-Tek’s report China Civil Helicopter China,” he says.
Devoisselle, Partner and co-founder Market 2013–2022 stated that while Chinese Eurocopter China has expanded its
of Avia-Tek, a China-based aerospace manufacturers are growing in output, presence exponentially in the last six
consultancy whose recently published currently European original equipment years, he adds, with offices now located in
report on the sector’s growth prospects manufacturers (OEMs) are leading the Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong,
stated that the civil helicopter fleet will market in both value and absolute units ex- Harbin, Wuhan and Chengdu.
grow to 435 aircraft this year. pistons, with the piston market dominated He proudly rattles off a long list of
Somewhat surprisingly, the growth by Robinson and Sikorsky. “However, the achievements: “We have set up a network
isn’t expected to come from private market is still emerging and major shifts of support and services centres across
choppers owned by China’s increasingly could occur as the OEMs make moves in the country, a regional customer service
wealthy elite. This is in spite of demand China,” the report said. centre in Hong Kong, a logistics hub in
rising for helicopter travel, especially
from businesses seeking to entertain
clients with something a bit different. Opening up the skies
Instead, helicopter charter is expected Rules governing the management of China’s lower altitude airspace are being
to offer significant growth prospects to relaxed. As part of the country’s 12th Five-Year Plan for 2011–2015 period,
civil aircraft will progressively be allowed to fly between the ground and 3,300
established civil businesses. feet (1,000 metres). This ceiling will be gradually raised to 13,000 feet (4,000
Helicopter charters have only recently metres). Designed to promote the general aviation industry’s development,
become possible in metropolitan areas reform the way airspace is managed and increase the efficient utilisation
with the relaxation of low-altitude of airspace resources, the changes will initially apply only in test zones and
airspace restrictions, and Capital flight corridors connecting cities – but later they are to be expanded to entire
regions, with China’s whole lower airspace expected to be open by 2020.
Helicopter recently broke new ground
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