With a major increase in the sales and tonnage of aircraft sold, a resurgent Eurocopter Philippines is seizing the Philippine growth market.

With 80 million inhabitants spread over more than 7,000 islands and islets, the Philippines have major requirements for helicopters. These requirements are partially met by a total fleet of 132 turbine-powered helicopters (the private and parapublic sectors combined). Thierry Tea, who became CEO of Eurocopter Philippines in August 2007, is clearly relishing his new role:
“With 62 Eurocopter aircraft being operated by 38 different clients, we have captured a 46% share of the current market. We are now focusing on improving customer satisfaction and strengthening our local presence.”
The helicopter market is in robust health, boosted by a booming economy. The mining and property development sectors are big operators of helicopters, and these sectors are flourishing, while the off-shore oil and gas industry and the emergency medical service (EMS) sector are also set for rapid growth. The other key factor behind Eurocopter’s progress is the remarkable breakthroughs made by its range of twin-engine aircraft.
“Almost 60% of the current Eurocopter fleet in this country is made up of single-engine aircraft from the AStar/Ecureuil family,” explains Thierry Tea. “But 2007 was marked by the sudden emergence of the twins. Six new aircraft were sold last year: an AS365 N3 Dauphin, an EC155, two EC145s (1), and two EC135s. This is a clear indication that the market is making qualitative progress.”
With one sale in 2004, two in 2005, six in 2006, and another six in 2007, the progress is just as spectacular in terms of the number of aircraft sold. This success can certainly be explained by the recovery of the market, the success of the current range, and the efforts of the subsidiary’s sales team in association with Eurocopter South East Asia. Just to prove it: in 2007, Eurocopter’s two main rivals only sold one aircraft in the Philippines between them!