18 April, 2019: Airbus Helicopters has expanded its partnership with China by opening the H135 final assembly line in Qingdao. The factory is the first helicopter FAL constructed by a foreign manufacturer in China, as well as the first H135 FAL outside of Europe.
The 6,500sqm Qingdao plant has four working stations, a paint booth, ground and flight test areas, and a delivery centre. It will employ approximately 40 people, 23 of whom received on-the-job training in Donauwrth.
Main components such as the main gearbox kits, main fuselage and rear fuselage will be shipped to Qingdao from Donauwrth, Germany and Albacete, Spain respectively.
The first aircraft roll-out from Qingdao will take place at the end of 2019. Operations will begin with an annual capacity of 18 helicopters, which can be doubled to accommodate future growth.
"Beginning to manufacture H135s in Qingdao marks the start of a new chapter of Sino-European collaboration, as we become the first foreign helicopter manufacturer to open a manufacturing facility in China," said General Manager of Airbus Helicopters China, Marie-Agnes Veve. "This achievement is a testament to our continued commitment to the Chinese helicopter industry and the strong spirit of cooperation that exists between us and our Chinese partners."