Company Selected Last Year To Provide Training

Eurocopter recently delivered the first EC120 B Colibri helicopter to HeliDax, the company selected by the French Ministry of Defense in 2007 to provide up to 22,000 helicopter flight hours for the Army's light aviation (EA.ALAT) school in Dax located in the southwest of France.

The EC120 B Colibri will replace the current fleet of Gazelle (SA341 and SA342) helicopters. This is the first of the batch of 30 EC120 B helicopters (plus 6 options) which will be delivered until 2010. The first EC120 B helicopter will enter into operation in 2009.

This contract which is valid for 22 years is funded by an innovative financing solution of “Public Private Partnership” nature, whose main advantage is to allow for savings on operating and finance costs by eliminating the need for procurement and ongoing maintenance.

Eurocopter says over 600 EC120B Colibri helicopters are currently in service in 50 countries, and has been selected by military and civilian training schools worldwide such as in Spain, Indonesia and Singapore.

FMI: www.eurocopter.com