Eurocopter has secured new orders from China and plans to open its first simulator training centre in the country.
The Shanghai police force has ordered two Eurocopter EC135s and one EC155, while the Guangdong police force is to buy one EC225, says Eurocopter senior vice-president Norbert Ducrot.
He says another organisation in Guangdong has ordered the Eurocopter AS350B3 for power line inspection.
The sales flurry follows an order for 10 EC155B1s from China's Citic Offshore Helicopter (COHC).
Ducrot says Eurocopter recently increased its shareholding in COHC's helicopter maintenance business to 34% from 21%.
He adds that one of the major obstacles constraining the use of helicopters in China is a shortage of pilots. "Eurocopter wants to establish a training centre in China," says Ducrot, adding that "we want at least three simulators before the end of 2011" and the first three will be for the EC225, EC135 and EC155.
Ducrot says there are fewer than 200 helicopters in China, compared with 12,000 in the USA, but he predicts that by around 2015, China will become a more important sales market than the USA.
He says this will depend on the opening of airspace in China to helicopters, which is now restricted.
Source: Flight International
