Airbus Helicopters scores 78 bookings for its various rotorcraft product line at Heli-Expo 2014.

The 78 bookings announced by Airbus Helicopters at this week’s Heli-Expo industry convention underscore the competitiveness of its product line – with acquisitions covering rotorcraft that range from the workhorse EC225 and the AS350 B2 and B3e, to the next-generation EC175, along with the new EC145 T2 and the evolved EC225e and AS332 C1e versions.

Included in this new business are key transactions with leasing companies, underscoring their increasing importance in the rotorcraft sector. Also announced at Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California are Airbus Helicopters’ expanded and innovative services solutions, incorporating such elements as Level D full-flight simulators for the EC175 in France and the U.S., plus new and enhanced information services, the cloud-based helicopter maintenance information, and a standardization of services for helicopter upgrades.

The new EC175 – which was certified in January for deliveries beginning later this year – logged 14 orders with announcements at Heli-Expo. Noordzee He licopters Vlaanderen (NHV), a launch customer is adding six to its previous order for 10 of the mid-sized, twin-engine helicopters Lease Corporation International (LCI), a new Airbus Helic opters customer, is acquiring up to six EC175s and CHI Aviation purchased two of the rotorcraft.

As a versatile rotorcraft with Airbus Helicopters’ new Helionix avionics suite, the EC175 is the industry’s benchmark medium-sized twin-engine helicopter for a variety of missions, including transport duties in oil and gas operations, corporate and executive transport, search and rescue, emergency medical services and public services. The EC145 T2, which is another new Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft to enter service in 2014, expanded its order book by a 25-rotorcraft booking from Waypoint Leasing. This latest-evolution member of the twin-engine EC145 family combines the company’s latest technologies, including an advanced cockpit design and modern Helionix® avionics, four-axis autopilot and Airbus Helicopters’ signature Fenestron® shrouded tail rotor.