HYDERABAD: Eurocopter, the global leader in helicopters, will focus on new markets in India in the emergency medical services, utility, law enforcement and search and rescue areas while maintaining its leadership position in the passenger, private, oil and gas and VIP markets, the company says.
Eurocopter India, a subsidiary of Eurocopter, will continue expansion of existing Indian markets with the largest range of helicopters.
Xavier Hay, chief executive officer, Eurocopter India, told reporters on the eve of India Aviation 2012, that the company would be working to develop new markets including emergency services like medical evacuation and fire fighting.
Eurocopter, which is the world leader in emergency medical services, has designed the EC135 and EC145 for Helicopter Medical Emergency Service (HEMS) and Disaster Management (DM) applications.
The firm has already started work with Indian companies, institutions, hospitals. He, however, wants India to relax regulations for this market to take off. Under the existing rules, an operator has to take flight permission 48 hours in advance.
It is also looking at freight, news gathering and construction in the utility market and police, customs, border patrol in law enforcement market and search and rescue market.
"There is huge potential for growth considering the fact that the civil helicopter fleets is just 260-strong against 6,857 in North America and 5,153 in Europe," said Hay.
Eurocopter currently has 29 customers in India operating 80 helicopters in the civilian market. Its market share in the civilian sector increased from 41 percent in 2010 to 65 percent in 2011
It delivered its 1,000th Dauphin helicopter to Pawan Hans Pvt Ltd in June 2011. Pawan Hans has 35 Dauphin in its fleet, making it the world's biggest civil operator of the Dauphin.
During 2011, Eurocopter India delivered nine helicopters of the 14 registered last year. Of these, five were twin-engined and the remaining four single-engined.
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