Airbus Delivers 7,000th Ecureuil Helicopter

The 48-year-old brand made its landmark sale to French company Blugeon Hélicoptères.

Michael Wildes

Monday, July 11, 2022 at 03:00 PM ET

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Blugeon's H125 doing aerial work over the French Alps [Courtesy: Airbus Helicopters]

Key Takeaways:

Airbus delivered its 7,000th Ecureuil helicopter, an H125 model, to Blugeon Hélicoptères, a company that extensively utilizes the type for demanding high-altitude operations across France.
The Ecureuil helicopter family, first introduced in 1974, has become a globally successful and versatile light helicopter brand, accumulating over 37 million flight hours across its civilian (H125, H130) and military (H125M) variants.
The H125 model has undergone continuous enhancements, including a significant power increase and payload capacity upgrades in 2021, contributing to its reputation for excellent performance and adaptability.
Known for its record-breaking capabilities, an Ecureuil (AS350 B3e, now H125) holds the unique distinction of being the only helicopter to have landed on Mount Everest.

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The 7,000th Ecureuil helicopter delivered by Airbus—a single-engine H125—was put together at the Airbus Helicopter facility in Marignane, France, before joining the Blugeon Hélicoptères’ fleet, which already has five H125 helicopters operating throughout France. The company flies each of its helicopters an average of 600 hours yearly for high-altitude activities like mountain rescue, preventive avalanche maintenance, filmmaking, power-line surveillance, passenger transport, and large-scale hoisting.

Christian Blugeon, CEO and founder of Blugeon Hélicoptères, said in a statement that his company was proud to add the sixth aircraft to its operation, but even more so to share a special milestone with Airbus.