One of the leading helicopter manufacturers in the world, Airbus Helicopters, plans to expand cooperation with Uzbekistan. This was stated by Ralf Weber, the head of Eastern Europe Zone at the Airbus Helicopters, at a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Development of Uzbekistan, Aziz Abdukhakimov.
According to the press service of the Tourism Committee, during the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the agreements reached within the framework of the Uzbekistan Aviation Airports Logistics Forum, held on February 19-20 in Tashkent.
It is noted that there is a need for using helicopters not only for rescue and medical purposes, but also for organizing various excursions, developing extreme types of tourism: rock climbing, mountain skiing and others.
Ralf Weber confirmed the interest of Airbus Helicopters to further expand cooperation with Uzbekistan. As he stated, according to the international practice of providing the country with a helicopter fleet, at the rate of 1 helicopter for an average of 800,000-1 million inhabitants, it is necessary to have at least 25-30 helicopters to meet the needs of Uzbekistan in this type of air transport.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to develop a joint comprehensive project, which will include the organization of helicopter transportation, the training of pilots, mechanics, technologists and other personnel, the active involvement of Uzbekistan’s private businesses through the organization of training seminars.
For information, Airbus Helicopters (former Eurocopter Group) is a Franco-German company, one of the leading helicopter manufacturers in the world. It is a subsidiary of the Airbus Group. The company’s revenue in 2018 rose to 6.007 billion euros.
