Airbus Helicopters extends its MRO capabilities in Japan

Airbus Helicopters is preparing to extend its maintenance capabilities in Japan. The European helicopter manufacturer is announcing that it is to open a new MRO buildings beside its existing facilities at Kobe airport. Construction work will begin in June 2019, with operations starting in November of the same year.

Covering a surface area of 19 685 m², it will house a hanger, offices and a dedicated storage centre. It will increase the capacity of the Airbus Helicopters facilities in Kobe by 60% since they will be able to accommodate around 40 intermediate-sized helicopters at the same time - compared with 25 at the moment. A regional engineering hub and a complete flight simulator will also be set up.

"Japan is an important market for Airbus Helicopters. This new facility is part of our growth plan in the country and proves our desire to strengthen our support to our customers' fleets by responsible to increased demand for after-sales services", explained Olivier Tillier, director of Airbus Helicopters Japan.

The helicopter manufacturer actually has a 54% market share in the country at the moment for the civilian and para-public market and landed 50% of new orders signed in 2018 by Japanese operators. The Japanese helicopter fleet is forecast to grow by 2% each year over the next twenty years