Leading boutique business aviation operator PhilJets Group deepens its relationship with Airbus Helicopters with a new order of one brand-new H145 and two H130 helicopters. With this additional order, PhilJets which currently operates six Airbus rotorcraft including four H130, one EC130B4 and one AS350 B2, becomes Philippines’ largest operator of Airbus’ helicopters in the country, with a total of nine.
Both the twin-engine H145 and the two single-engine H130 helicopters are scheduled for delivery in the last quarter of 2017. These new helicopters will used to support PhilJets’ growing VIP, corporate and tourism businesses throughout the Philippine archipelago, with the possibility of adding new missions, as the operator explores expansion plans into the emergency medical services and cargo transport sectors.
“The limited oil-and-gas and military markets contributed to an understated helicopter market in the Philippines as a whole, especially when the market remains fragmented with a multitude of medium and small operators, and numerous individual owners operating one to two helicopters each at most,” said Thierry Tea, founder and CEO of PhilJets Group. “Establishing PhilJets in 2013, our goal was to develop the business aviation market in the Philippines to a state where it can receive the attention it deserves. Airbus’ helicopters served our needs very well and we have full confidence of the continued reliability and performance as we grow our fleet to bolster our operations.”
“We are excited at the opportunity of strengthening our relationship with PhilJets with the new helicopter orders. It is remarkable how our customer has grown by leaps and bounds in just over three years, and we are honored to be part of its expansion journey,” said Lionel De Maupeou, managing director, Airbus Helicopters in the Philippines. “We are confident that Airbus’ helicopters will serve the needs of our customer well in the country, and remain committed to growing our support for PhilJets.”
With 200 helicopters plying the skies of the Philippines, the country ranks eighth in Asia in helicopter fleet, after Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, India, South Korea and Indonesia. In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is the second largest market and one of the most active.
The H145 is the latest member of the four-ton class twin-engine helicopter family, which has a fleet of close to 1,200 in service globally, clocking over 4.6 million flight hours. While the aircraft is leading choice in the emergency medical service (EMS) and corporate transportation segments, its built-in versatility makes it the best candidate for a variety of missions.
The light rotorcraft incorporates Airbus Helicopters’ trademark Fenestron and innovative Helionix avionics suite for enhanced safety, increased performance and reduced pilot workload.
The lightweight multi-role H130 has a spacious cabin for one pilot and seats up to seven passengers. The largest of any single-engine rotorcraft in the world yet the quietest in its category, the H130 is suited for a wide range of missions, including passenger transportation, sightseeing, medical airlift, law enforcement and search-and-rescue.
