February 21, 2007
In view of the growing world demand for oil and gas, Eurocopter has reaffirmed its key position in the helicopter market serving this industry. The company will highlight this fact at this year's Heli-Expo in Orlando, Florida, from March 1-3. Offering the widest product line and highest degree of experience in adapting helicopters to the stringent requirements of the oil and gas industry, Eurocopter's fleet in service today amounts to approx. 540 aircraft. This represents, over the 2001-2006 period, 40 percent of the market in quantity and 50 percent in value of helicopters sold. Four types of Eurocopter's new-generation helicopters were launched into this market during the same period – the EC135, EC145, EC155 and EC225. The company's leading role in the market is based on a fleet of more than 126 Super Pumas in the oil and gas industry worldwide, which is now being joined by the EC225. Seventy aircraft of this fleet are in operation in the harsh conditions of the North Sea.
Taking advantage of the “family effect”, Eurocopter has successfully introduced into the market its new-generation light and medium twins. In 2006, 15 EC135s have been delivered to three operators for offshore services in the Gulf of Mexico and in Brazil. This success confirms that the EC135 is now clearly perceived by the industry as the ideal aircraft in its category. Equally, the EC145 went into offshore service in the Gulf as a larger complement to the EC135. In the medium twin segment, the EC155 has well established itself in the offshore oil and gas market since 2001. A total of 26 are in service with six oil and gas operators worldwide.
Eurocopter's latest development in the heavy segment (11-metric ton class), the EC225, enjoys high acceptance in this demanding market. Twenty-four EC225s have been sold to six oil and gas customers to date. The unrivalled safety features of the EC225, its strong economic productivity and the positive introduction into service in the offshore role in the North Sea have paved the way to fast-increasing sales of this aircraft for the service of the oil and gas industry.
As the most recent newcomer to the Super Puma family, the EC225 benefits from the experience of a large number of operators as well as from proven technological concepts. The result is an operational availability for the Super Puma family helicopters that, on average, exceeds the 98% mark.
Offshore duties and Search and Rescue (SAR) missions are unquestionably the most severe ones for medium and heavy helicopters in terms of reliability, operational availability, and crucial performance parameters, such as high cruising speed, range, payload, and mission continuation in the event of a failure.
With the EC725 (its military variant), Eurocopter also developed proven SAR systems for the Combat SAR role. The French Armed Forces have ordered 14 (out of a total of 18) EC725 for this mission, with the first aircraft already in service. The combination of the existing civil and military SAR expertises and the high performance of the EC225 platform will bring for the future a revolutionary approach to rescue and recovery services for the oil and gas industry.
About Eurocopter
Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 14,000 people. In 2006, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world's No. 1 helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 3.8 billion euros, orders for 615 new helicopters, and a 52% percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group's products account for 30% percent of the total world helicopter fleet. Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 17 subsidiaries on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centres. More than 9,800 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in service with over 2,800 customers in 140 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.