Aircraft manufacturer Airbus Helicopters said yesterday it booked orders for 54 new Super Pumas during 2017, despite the ‘copters being dumped by the North Sea oil and gas industry.
The French firm delivered 409 rotorcraft last year, while it logged orders for a total of 350.
Demand for the company’s Super Pumas was mainly for the H225 model, which has suffered a spate of accidents in the North Sea.
They have not been used for oil and gas operations in the area since a fatal crash in Norway in April 2016 claimed 13 lives.
The H225s and another model of the Super Puma family were officially banned from flying in the North Sea until last summer.
They received Civil Aviation Authority clearance to fly again in July following a major safety overhaul by the manufacturer.
Airbus Helicopters’ order book update came as it announced a “solid” commercial performance during 2017.
Chief executive Guillaume Faury, who took a flight on an H225 late last year in a show of faith in the helicopter’s airworthiness, said Marignane-based Airbus Helicopters had completed a first wave of a company-wide transformation.
This had allowed the business to become stronger and leaner in a challenging market environment, he said.
He added: “Our 2017 results are a testimony to the great work done by our teams to transform our industrial operations, improve our products and services, while delivering an ambitious innovation roadmap to prepare the future of vertical flight.
“As we launch a second wave of company transformation this year, our main focus will be to speed up these efforts through increased digitalisation of our products, services and operations – for the benefit of our customers and the safety of our fleet.”
Airbus Helicopters accounts for about half of the helicopters delivered every year for customers in civil and semi-public markets.
The firm’s helicopter orders last year were among gross global sales totalling 1,229 aircraft, worth more than £110billion. Super Puma family sales were more than double the number seen in 2016, when orders were placed for 23 aircraft.
Its latest Super Pumas are destined for military, search and rescue, policing and coastguard operations around the world. Airbus Helicopters booked 19 orders for the super-medium H175, while there were 168 orders for light-single engine helicopters and 105 for H135/H145 light-twins. At the end of 2017, the overall backlog stood at 692 helicopters.
The company said major progress was made on new products and on the international stage it delivered its 400th UH-72 Lakota to the US Army and broke ground on its first helicopter final assembly line in China, with initial deliveries expected in 2019.