Airbus Helicopters suspends Romania construction, considers moving

It has been reported that Airbus Helicopters has suspended the building of a helicopter plant in Romania and is considering relocating the project elsewhere. The move comes after Romanian authorities failed to produce a concrete offer to begin production.

"The investment was a winning one from many points of view. Unfortunately, nothing happened, so we decided to be more flexible," said Airbus Helicopters Europe CEO, Olivier Michalon according to News.ro.

"We understand that ordering 40 or 50 helicopters involves a lot of money. So we proposed a contract of at least 16 helicopters. Our factory was to produce 15 helicopters a year. By now the helicopters would have already been manufactured. It is a chance missed by Romania. And today we decided to suspend the project," he continued.

Michalon said that while it was not his first option, the company was at the stage preceding a decision to relocate.

"I knew that it was going to be a success, especially because Airbus has worked with Romania for 50 years, and there are many competent people here. I wanted the factory to be developed here. But I can't force the decision makers to launch such a grand project. And if it is not a priority for the defence or space industry to develop, then I just have to respect the decision," he is quoted as saying.

Airbus has already invested €10-million in the factory located in the central city of Brasov, out of a planned total of €15-million.

Airbus Helicopters is a division of Airbus Group. Airbus Helicopters Industries, a 10,000 m² factory based in Brasov, was inaugurated in 2016 and was to house production of the H215M model in Romania. The company has been present in Romania for over sixteen years through its customer service centre, Airbus Helicopters Romania.

In November 2018, Romanian state-run aircraft repair and maintenance company IAR Brasov announced it has signed the final cooperation agreement with Airbus Helicopters for production of the H215M multi-role helicopter in Romania, with IAR Brasov to be the prime contractor for any further H215M order placed by the Romanian defence ministry.

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