Eurocopter India retains the market lead in 2012
Eurocopter India retains the market lead in 2012, contributing
to its parent company’s strong annual performance
Eurocopter India recorded an impressive 2012 bookings of 12 helicopters, driven largely by the outstanding sale of nine light twin-engine EC135. This represents a 70 percent market share for the two-year-old Indian subsidiary in a fledging civilian helicopter market that is making steady progress as the country begins to realize the potential and benefits of helicopter operations.
On the deliveries front, Eurocopter India is again leading for the third consecutive year with a total of six registered helicopter deliveries last year, for an overall 43 percent market share. The company performed very well in the light- and medium-category, where every three out of four rotorcraft delivered were Eurocopter products.
“Eurocopter has a 50-plus year relationship with India, and the Eurocopter India affiliate’s performance last year underscores the value of our company’s ability to provide proximity services to meet customers’ needs,” explained Eurocopter President & CEO Lutz Bertling. “We will continue developing our presence in this market, building on the strengths of Eurocopter India as the only full-fledged subsidiary to be established in the country, with plans to expand organically and through co-operations with local partners.”
In addition to Eurocopter India’s headquarters in New Delhi, the company has an office in Bangalore, and it expanded the footprint during 2012 with the opening of a new Mumbai location.
Industrial co-operation remains a focal strategy for the company, with many local partnerships formed to boost the local aviation industry. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. has been the global supplier of composite chipsets for Eurocopter’s Ecureuil/Fennec helicopter family; Pawan Hans Helicopters, who owns the largest Dauphin fleet in the world, operates the only Eurocopter-approved MRO (maintenance, repairs and overhaul) centre for Dauphin helicopters in India; and Mahindra & Mahindra has come on board as a commercial partner in the joint development of new market segments.
The sales and deliveries performance of Eurocopter India last year contributed to the Eurocopter parent company’s all-time record turnover of 6.3 billion euros in 2012, while its annual bookings of 5.4 billion euros marked the company’s third consecutive yearly increase since 2010.