Image courtesy LCI
 
Airbus predicts demand for over 16,000 new helicopters by 2041, with a combined value approaching $130 billion. The new partnership will see LCI and Airbus Helicopters leveraging their combined knowledge, experience and analytical capabilities to identify the infrastructure and financial innovations that will address this demand.  

 
Flight Path builds upon a 20-year relationship between the companies, which most recently culminated in a collaboration agreement to develop advanced air mobility ecosystems around the CityAirbus Next Gen programme. Going forward, it will also include investment in further helicopter units, types and technologies, with a growing emphasis around sustainability.
 
The first phase of Flight Path will see the committed delivery of at least seven latest generation Airbus helicopters to LCI by 2025.  
 
LCI has ordered five new Airbus H145 helicopters, all of which are being placed in its joint venture (JV) with Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company, Limited (SMFL). The first two aircraft are being delivered by the end of March 2024 and will be operated in Oceania.  
 
In addition, LCI will deliver two H175 helicopters by the end of March 2024. The aircraft will be operated in South America.
 
Jaspal Jandu, CEO of LCI, said: “This strategic partnership between LCI and Airbus signals our collective commitment to deliver long-term, sustainable capacity solutions to the market. The combination of Airbus’ long-standing expertise in business development, forecasting and planning, with LCI’s track record in leasing, investing and financial innovation, will enable us to sustainably address the multibillion dollar requirements of the market.”
 
LCI’s fleet currently includes over 45 Airbus helicopters. They are deployed by 14 operators in over 10 countries across the globe on a range of missions including emergency medical services, search and rescue and offshore wind.
 
Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said: “LCI and Airbus have worked together in close cooperation for almost two decades, culminating most recently in the delivery commitments for seven next generation helicopters. This new partnership is a natural elevation of this relationship and one that reflects our shared capabilities. Together with our partners, Airbus Helicopters is committed to delivering sustainable growth and innovation to its customers as they undertake their mission-critical work.”
 
The new partnership aligns with LCI’s long-term commitment to sustainable growth. LCI is a signatory of Aircraft Leasing Ireland’s (ALI) Sustainability Charter, with a commitment to driving forward and achieving responsibility goals, centred around 10 priority sustainability principles, including a commitment to achieving net zero by 2050.