Eurocopter eyes No. 1 spot in India
Looking to be numero uno in the growing Indian civil and parapublic aviation market, a position it enjoys worldwide, Euro-copter on Tuesday said untapped opportunities like emergency health services, law enforcement and heli-tourism will drive the market forward. Currently, the company’s AS365 and Dauphin series of copters service the VIP/corporate markets and the oil and gas companies in exploration activities.
It also has a long-standing pact with public sector helicopter services company Pawan Hans, the biggest Dauphin operator in the world with a fleet of 35 copters. Speaking a day ahead of the inauguration of the biennial Indian Aviation Show 2012 here, Eurocopter India’s CEO, Mr Xavier Hay, said although the trends for the Indian market were “positive”, regulations and infrastructure left much to be desired.
“Regulation in terms of day and night flight, pickup, emergency services need to be relaxed. We need clearance 48 hours prior to takeoff,” Mr Hay said, ruing the harm such measures caused to the growth of segments like helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS). Despite maintaining that it would be “premature to forecast growth” for the fiscal at this stage, Mr Hay said the company was looking at an annual growth of 20 per cent and doubling numbers in another five years.
Looking to move closer to areas of customer operations and following complaints over service and availability of parts, Eurocopter will set up a new maintenance repair and overhaul centre in Bengaluru, in addition to existing ones at New Delhi and Mumbai.
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