Page 19 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2013 Online Magazine
P. 19

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
                    WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM                                 MARCH / APRIL 2013  ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS  19
   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24