While Michalon declined to name any of the sites under consideration, he said that the final decision would be made based on a host of considerations, including attractiveness for employees, and suitability in terms of industrial activity, logistics, and regulations.
The first Made-in-India H helicopter is expected to roll out before the end of The India FAL will be the fourth production unit for the single-engine H helicopter with an initial annual production capacity of 10 helicopters. Airbus officials did not comment on investment figures and other financial details of the project. Civil helicopter use in India lags many other countries where choppers are routinely used for a number of purposes.
But the idea at the end of the day is to meet the demand in the region from this FAL. Currently, the region has around civil and para-public helicopters, of which around are in India. According to Guglani, Airbus Helicopters has a market share of 40 per cent in the region in civil and para-public helicopters.
In India, civil helicopters are mainly used for commercial charter operations, tourism and pilgrimages, offshore operations by the oil and gas sector, and by corporations and high net-worth individuals. Their use for para-public services, including emergency medical services, law enforcement, firefighting, and natural disaster management, in India is significantly lower than many other parts of the world, including a number of developing countries.
The multi-mission H helicopter is seen as highly suited for operations like emergency medical services, law enforcement, firefighting, crop spraying, and aerial works in industries like construction, apart from passenger transport and private and business aviation. One of the most popular helicopters globally, there are around 4, Hs flying around the world. The Made-in-India Hs will also be similar in pricing to those manufactured elsewhere despite the import of key components.
