SIDBI, Airbus Helicopters Sign MoU For Helicopter Financing In India

Airbus Helicopters and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have inked an MoU for financing the purchase of Airbus' helicopters in India.

Under the MoU, both entities will collaborate to identify potential civil helicopter operators in India seeking financing solutions for acquiring Airbus helicopters. Airbus will lend its technical expertise and knowledge of the helicopter industry to SIDBI, which will evaluate and exclusively finance these projects for Airbus.

This collaboration represents a significant venture for SIDBI into helicopter financing, aiming to address the financial and developmental requirements of India’s rapidly expanding rotary wing sector.

“The MoU with SIDBI opens a new chapter in making civil helicopters more accessible to operators in India, which will further position these rotary wing aircraft as a critical tool for nation building,” said Sunny Guglani, Head of Airbus Helicopters, India and South Asia.

In January of this year, Airbus announced its collaboration with the Tata Group to establish a Final Assembly Line (FAL) for civil helicopters in the country, making it India’s first helicopter assembly facility in the private sector. 

Under this partnership, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), a subsidiary of Tata Group, will set up the FAL facility with Airbus Helicopters.

The FAL is slated to manufacture Airbus’ best-selling H125 single-engine civil helicopter for both the Indian market and neighbouring countries, as per the company's announcement. Setting up the FAL is projected to take 24 months, with the initial deliveries of 'Made in India' H125s anticipated to commence in 2026.

For a country like India, the total number of helicopters is just 256, while the opportunity is quite huge when it comes to health, calamities, heli-tourism and passenger travel.

As India aspires to be a major player in the aviation space by 2047, focusing on the development of helicopters, where the country currently trails, is crucial. With manufacturing and financing initiatives underway, the helicopter segment appears to be receiving specialised attention at last.