The French aircraft manufacturer Airbus has listed eight potential site locations for setting up its final assembly line for the H125 helicopters in India, reported PTI on Sunday, July 21.
“We have identified eight sites which we are currently assessing. We are still in the final assessment stage. We should be in a position to announce it shortly,” said Olivier Michalon, executive vice president global business at Airbus Helicopters, reported PTI.
The facility will be the fourth Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the H125 helicopters, which is to produce up to 10 single-engine helicopters every year with an option to increase production due to high demand in the market, as per the report.
“India is the market of the future for helicopters… at present, the market is extremely embryonic, it is very small compared to what the potential could be,” said Michalon, as per the report.
The Indian market regulations are a bit restrictive but the company is working to lighten them up a bit and the skies to become more open, said Michalon, reported PTI.
The inauguration ceremony is expected to happen in October or November this year, and the facility will start operations in 2026, according to the report. The deliveries will likely start from the end of 2026.
The H125 helicopter is the bestselling helicopter in the South Asian and Indian regions, which can carry up to six people. Airbus expects demand for the H125 series to reach 500 in the coming 20 years, as per the report.
“We are targeting 10 helicopters per year and as the demand picks up we can ramp up,” said Sunny Guglani, head of Airbus Helicopters India and South Asia in the media briefing, according to the report.
The focus was to provide the South Asian and Indian regions with the “Make in India solutions” to support the helicopters built, as per the report. The cost of the base model of the H125 helicopter will be nearly 3.2 million euros, reported PTI quoting an official in the know.
Apart from the H125 FAL, Airbus is also building a FAL unit for its C295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. After the FAL for the H125 helicopter is set up in India, the helicopters will go through the integration of the component assemblies, avionics and mission systems, installation of electrical harnesses, hydraulic circuits, flight controls, dynamic components, fuel system and the aircraft engine.
According to Airbus, there are 350 civil and parapublic helicopters in India and South Asia as per the report. Out of the 350, close to 250 helicopters are in service in India, as per the report. India has close to 100 Airbus helicopters, the majority of them between the H125 and H130 series, as per the report.