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, signifying a major production milestone for the enduring aircraft family.
First flying in 1974, the Ecureuil family (H125, H130, H125M) is celebrated for its versatility, adaptability, and strong performance across diverse civil and military applications globally, accumulating over 37 million flight hours.
The H125, a successor to the AS350 B3e, has undergone continuous enhancements, including recent power and payload upgrades, enabling it to excel in challenging operations like high-altitude rescue.
With over 2,000 customers in 124 countries and a record for landing on Mount Everest, the Ecureuil demonstrates remarkable reliability and sustained market success.

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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.