The announcement came from Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus Helicopters,
during a meeting with the Association of Journalists Specialized in Aeronautics (AJPAE)
in France. "We will no longer invest in entry-level helicopters like the H120.
This program will gradually stop, and in the single-turbine helicopter segment, we are now
focusing on the H125/130 range,”explained Faury. Airbus Helicopters is committed to
continuing to support the global H120 fleet with the same level of support and services as today,"
He probably nailed it in the last part of his press release. They have never really understood the market
for this aircraft. In fact they are incapable of it as proven.
we are now focusing on the H125/130 range,
better late than never I guess. The reason the H125/130
became successful is there is competition in the support field. Not so with the 120 and nobody has had the option.
There is nothing inherently "wrong" with the aircraft. The problem is the service and support has never matched the
expectation of the type of customer that it attracts.
Simple solution - "give" it to Bruno Guimbal - let him look at it with 20/20 hindsight and improve it as EC120B2 and
sell it with Guimbal G4 or G5 on the side.
After all he knows as much about it as anyone possibly and it would save re-inventing the wheel?