Airbus Helicopters celebrated the grand opening of its new £55 million U.K. headquarters Sept. 13, with a special event at London Oxford Airport marked by a surprise visit from the Prince of Wales.
The new facility spans about 125,000 square feet (11,700 square meters), effectively doubling the space available to the U.K. branch over its former home on the other side of the airfield.
The grand opening held a dual purpose, also recognizing the subsidiary’s 50th anniversary. Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters’ CEO, said the new facility represented the manufacturer’s commitment to the U.K. for the next 50 years.
“Our new U.K. headquarters is a symbol of long-term vision and this £55 million commitment by Airbus and Oxford Airport underlines our commitment to growing our presence in the U.K., where we will continue to serve both civil and governmental customers,” he said.
The company’s U.K. branch traces it heritage back to the establishment of McAlpine Helicopters in 1974, which provided maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services to customers across the U.K. The company was fully acquired by what was then Eurocopter (now known as Airbus Helicopters) in 2007 — it had held a 10 percent stake in McAlpine since 1993.
“It was a very good decision, and one that has allowed us to build a strong presence here in the U.K.,” said Even.
Today, Airbus provides and supports all of the U.K.’s police helicopters, nearly two-thirds of the air ambulance fleet, and about 70 helicopter used by the British Armed Forces.
The U.K. facility designs and integrates custom-ordered interior configurations and exterior finishes, and serves as a completions center for customized aircraft for Airbus Corporate Helicopters — the manufacturer’s VIP/corporate aircraft arm.
It also provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for organizations including the British Armed Forces and the NPAS, and training for domestic and international customers.
“This new building is much bigger than our previous facility on the other side of the airfield,” said Even. “It’s a vastly improved working environment, both inside for our technical workforce, and on the operation and product side. We have more space with better equipment, and we look forward to higher productivity as a result.”
Outside it has eight landing pads that can accommodate all models of Airbus helicopters.
Steve Doubleday, chief of staff at Airbus U.K’s new headquarters, noted the inefficiencies of the company’s “disjointed” setup at the previous site.
“We had four or five buildings, and it was just how it had grown over the years,” he said. The new facility brings teams together under one roof, providing a “real benefit” in collaborative working, he added. “I really don’t want us to be working in silos — I want us to be working together and realizing the benefits of having that broader team and being able to gain from each other’s strengths.”
Airbus also touted the energy efficiency of the new facility — it believes it will provide a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions compared to its previous U.K. home. On top of that, it has pledged to use a blend of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) for all flight operations in Oxford.
The grand opening also saw the delivery of the second H135 for the London Air Ambulance — for which Prince William serves as a Patron, and the announcement of a new order from Gama Aviation for three H145s to fly for the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Open to discussion on NMH
Regarding Airbus Helicopters’ recent decision to not submit a bid for the U.K.’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) tender, Even noted Lockheed Martin’s similar decision, and said Airbus would be “open for discussion” with the U.K. Military of Defence going forward.
“If, as part of their global defense strategy, the U.K. MoD will come to the conclusion that they reassess the campaign in terms of priority, in particular, in terms of needs — of course we are there. . . . I will let the customer what the right thing is to be done.”
He added that Airbus remains committed to supporting the U.K.’ s Puma fleet, which is scheduled to fly until 2035.
