To mark its 50th anniversary, Airbus Helicopters UK recently opened its new facility at London Oxford Airport. STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER FRAeS joins the Prince of Wales and others on hand to mark the occasion.
Airbus Helicopters officially opened its new British helicopter facility at London Oxford (Kidlington) Airport on 13 September, taking the opportunity to also mark 50 years of UK operations.
Although the aerospace giant does not manufacture rotary-wing aircraft in the UK, the £55m facility will be used to service, overhaul and repair helicopters, as well as fitting out airframes acquired by UK-based owners with their retrofitted bespoke interiors, exteriors and mission fits. It also serves as a completions centre for VIP aircraft supplied by the Airbus Corporate Helicopters subsidiary.
The opening ceremony saw Airbus Helicopters’ CEO, Bruno Even, John Harrison, Chairman of Airbus in the UK, and Minister, Abena Oppong-Asare MP, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office with responsibility for national security, resilience, and civil contingencies, deliver speeches.
While Harrison chose to major on the fact that Airbus had trained “nearly 200 technical helicopter apprentices” in the UK to date and “more than 4,000 apprentices” across all of its UK divisions over the last decade, the Minister told the audience that: “Helicopters are an important part of how we remain resilient and secure.”
Police and Ambulance
London Air Ambulance’s second H135 helicopter was handed over during the event. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)
Airbus Helicopters currently supplies around half of all turbine helicopters purchased in the UK, providing aircraft for private and corporate owners, as well as military and paramilitary operators.
The latter includes all of the UK police helicopters and around two-thirds of the nation’s fleet of air ambulances. The latter was emphasised at the opening ceremony by the placing of a new order of three H145s from Gama Aviation, which will fly with the Scottish Ambulance Service, and the delivery of the second of two H135s for the London Air Ambulance (LAA).
Fit for a (future) king
HRH, the Prince of Wales, paid an unofficial visit to the event. A former Search and Rescue and Air Ambulance pilot, Prince William took a keen interest in the helicopters on show. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)
Among those keen to get a glimpse of the LAA’s H135 was former air ambulance pilot HRH, the Prince of Wales, who flew into the event to attend in a personal capacity. The Prince – who has always been a keen aviator – appeared in casual clothes and spoke freely to visitors during his time in the hangar and was evidently revelling at being surrounded by helicopters.
The new facility at Oxford sees Airbus move from its long-term home in a group of 1948-vintage hangars to a new, efficient and purpose designed 11,700m2 facility. The first of around 250 staff moved into the building in July and it is now fully operational. According to Even, up to 32 helicopters can be worked on simultaneously in the multi-bay hangar, offering “a vastly improved environment both inside for our technical workforce, and on the operation and product side.” Even was optimistic that the extra space and better equipment would also bolster productivity. The Airbus Helicopters’ site also includes eight new landing pads directly adjacent to the building and Even explained that the company was now “making full use” of the sustainable aviation fuels that the airport has introduced. This, combined with a number of decarbonisation methods used in the more energy efficient building is estimated to have reduced the company’s carbon emissions at Oxford by 50%, compared to its previous base in the drafty old hangar complex.
Steve Doubleday, Airbus Helicopters’ UK Chief of Staff also cited the “disjointed” nature of the old facility, saying: “we had four or five buildings; that was just how it had grown over the years.” He described bringing the team together under one roof as a “real benefit” that would prevent his staff “working in silos.”
Half century
Airbus Helicopters UK’s purpose designed 11,700m2 facility represents a £55m investment in the UK. (Airbus Helicopters UK)
Airbus Helicopters UK traces its history back to McAlpine, which was formed in 1974 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus (then called Eurocopter) in 2007. As such, the organisation has now been operational in the UK for five decades and Even referred to the opening of the new facility as “a £55m statement that underlines our commitment to growing our presence here in the UK, where we will continue to serve both civil, governmental and military customers.”
All UK military pilots and their crews continue to learn their military flying on Airbus helicopters,” added Even. “That’s because we provide and support the fleet of 36 Junos and Jupiters in the military flight training system, and it’s a great responsibility to support the next generation of military aviators.” Although Airbus withdrew from the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) bidding process just prior to the event, Even referenced the RAF’s fleet of Puma helicopters during his address to the gathering VIPs and media, saying the company was committed to supporting the helicopter “for the foreseeable future” and did not rule out the possibility of further updating to extend them beyond their current 2035 out of service date.
When pressed on whether the company’s withdrawal from the bidding process meant the end of the road for NMH programme, Even commented that he remained “open for discussion” with the UK MoD. “If, as part of the SDR, the MoD come to the conclusion that that they need to reassess the campaign in terms of priority, of course we will be there,” he concluded.