QINGDAO, China -- Airbus Helicopters has opened a final assembly line in Qingdao, China, for the H135 helicopter. The facility is the first helicopter final assembly line built by a non-Chinese manufacturer in China, as well as the first H135 final assembly line outside of Europe.
The opening of the line follows a cooperation agreement signed between Airbus Helicopters and China in 2016 for the purchase of 100 H135s destined for the Chinese market. Ninety-five of the helicopters are to be assembled on the line from 2019 onwards. Major components for the helicopters, including the main fuselage, main gearbox kits, and rear fuselage are to be shipped to Qingdao from Donauworth, Germany, and Albacete, Spain.
The 6,500-square-meter Qingdao plant is composed of four working stations, a paint booth, ground and flight test areas, and a delivery center. The site will employ approximately 40 people, 23 of whom received on-the-job training in Donauworth.
The first aircraft roll-out from the Qingdao line is slated to occur in the second half of 2019. Initially, the line will have an annual capacity of 18 helicopters, which could be doubled to accommodate future growth.
"Beginning to manufacture H135s in Qingdao marks the start of a new chapter of Sino-European collaboration, as we become the first foreign helicopter manufacturer to open a manufacturing facility in China," said Marie-Agnes Veve, General Manager of Airbus Helicopters China. "This achievement is a testament to our continued commitment to the Chinese helicopter industry and the strong spirit of cooperation that exists between us and our Chinese partners."
To date, some 1,300 helicopters from the H135 family are in operation around the globe, having achieved more than five million flight hours.
You have 0 item(s) in your cart