Helicopters Airbus Helicopters expands presence in Japan with new facility

  • Airbus

Airbus Helicopters has announced it will add a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) complex at Kobe Airport.

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The helicopter manufacturer already operates a facility at Kobe Airport, which will now be extended with the MRO complex. Airbus Helicopters stated, that construction will commence in June 2019. Four months later, in November 2019, Airbus expects the facility to be operational.

Olivier Tillier, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters Japan said: “Japan is an important market for Airbus Helicopters. This additional facility is part of our growth plan in the country and demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our support for our customers’ fleets while responding to their increasing demand for aftersale support services.”

Currently, the Kobe facility can accommodate up to 25 medium-sized helicopters at the same time. The in-built training simulator has become an important contact point for over 500 pilots and engineers in Japan and the whole region. Additionally, the engineering hub is also located at Kobe Airport.

“We have been building up our capabilities in Kobe over the years and believe the site offers a lot of growth potential. With a larger capacity, we will be able to offer our complete suite of support and services to our customers, spanning after-sales customer support, MRO, engineering, technical support, simulator training and warehousing,” Tillier added.

With the new complex, Airbus Helicopters is said to have the largest footprint in Kobe Airport´s aviation business sector. In total, the overall capacity will be increased by 60% to 19,685 square meters. With the state-of-the-art hanger, 40 helicopters can be accommodated simultaneously.

Since 1961, after the first Alouette II helicopter was delivered, Airbus Helicopters Japan has delivered over 440 helicopters to various customers within the country. The manufacturer is currently leading the parapublic and civil market with 54% of presence.

The additional complex will help Airbus Helicopters Japan to reach its goal to strengthen its market position. The company said, that it has already secured 50% of the country´s new bookings for 2018.

Source © airbus.com

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