72% of the present H175 fleet is employed in the energy sector, and more are due to follow. Photo: Airbus
Airbus Helicopters Head of the H175 Programme, Jerome Fagot, told a briefing at the company’s Marignane Headquarters that he expects to grow H175 annual production fourfold to 40 aircraft a year by 2026 thanks to burgeoning demand from the Offshore sector.
Currently, the order framework has called for around 50 aircraft, which, when fulfilled, will nearly double the number in service from today’s strength.
Fagot cautioned that the rate of growth would be determined as much by supply chain constraints as by market demand. Fag0t also noted that while the company “would enjoy the demand” from the offshore sector, a tasking that occupies 72% of the current fleet, it is working hard to diversify aircraft and grow business in the SAR, HEMS and Corporate sectors to insulate the programme from the cyclic nature of the energy market.
