London Oxford Airport has long been the home of Airbus Helicopters UK, with the company expanding into several buildings over the years, including hangars dating from 1948.
On 13 September 2024, that particular era came to an end when Airbus Helicopters UK welcomed industry and government guests, the media and a very significant VIP to the official opening of its new HQ building on the campus.
Purpose built to offer ground floor space of 11,700m2, the facility meets the most stringent environmental standards. London Oxford is serious about sustainability and the new access road to the Airbus site takes traffic directly past OXCCU’s new plant, where sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is being created out of CO2 and hydrogen.
A giant curtain divided the hangar as Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters; John Harrison, chairman of Airbus in the UK; and Minister Abena Oppong-Asare MP, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office with responsibility for national security, resilience, and civil contingencies, delivered their speeches.
Assisted in the process by two Airbus apprentices, the VIPs subsequently opened the curtains to reveal a surprisingly large hangar already busy with helicopters in various stages of completion and maintenance.
Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, speaking at the event. Image: Paul Eden
The hangar’s size and full-width doors provide more workspace, but its major contribution to Airbus’s improved efficiency compared to the disjointed old site is the ease with which aircraft may be moved in and out. They were packed into the old hangar, with the result that taking one helicopter out frequently meant moving one or even two machines to provide access and that time-intensive maneuvering is no longer required.
The new Airbus Helicopters UK HQ at London Oxford Airport. Image: Airbus Helicopters UK
Among the helicopters on display, the H160 impressed up close, while an immaculate pre-delivery H145, one of two for London’s Air Ambulance Charity, drew considerable attention. Most of the UK’s HEMS aircraft (for helicopter emergency medical services) are Airbus Helicopters products, as is the entire National Police Air Service rotary-wing fleet, which means these critical aircraft are on constant rotation through Oxford for maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Minister Abena Oppong-Asare MP in the cockpit of the new London’s Air Ambulance Charity H145. Image: Neil Phillips Photo and Film Ltd / Airbus Helicopters UK
The UK’s military helicopter training also relies on Airbus Helicopters. Pilot and rear crew students learn to fly and operate helicopters on a fleet of Juno (H135) and Jupiter (H145) aircraft, the combination of this defense effort with HEMS and NPAS support making the Oxford facility something of a strategic hub.
Airbus Helicopters had hoped for further defense success through the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) program. Seeking a shrinking number of airframes to replace the venerable Puma, Griffon and other helicopters, NMH has been left with only Leonardo’s AW149 in the running after Airbus decided its H175M could not meet the requirement under the budget offered and Sikorsky decided the same of its UH-60M.
Airbus Helicopters already upgraded the Pumas once, and while Bruno Even told journalists the aircraft have life in them until 2035, he did not rule out the possibility of further updating, perhaps at the Oxford facility. The unrecognized irony in the Puma situation is that while the design came from Aerospatiale, forerunner of Airbus Helicopters, for the UK the aircraft were assembled by Westland and therefore considered a Westland product; Westland is today Leonardo Helicopters UK.
The day’s most significant event was also its least heralded. Very quietly, His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales arrived by helicopter and was taking a detailed interest in the London’s Air Ambulance Charity H145 almost before anyone noticed. Patron of the charity and a former H145 HEMS pilot himself, his interest was obvious. The casually dressed prince was later spotted sampling the H160 cockpit before touring the hangar.
His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, at the opening of Airbus Helicopters UK’s new headquarters, with Lenny Brown, the facility’s managing director. Image: Neil Phillips Photo and Film Ltd / Airbus Helicopters UK
Perhaps a tacit endorsement of Airbus Helicopters UK, the prince’s arrival after the speeches, genuine interest in the aircraft and obvious enthusiasm while speaking to Airbus team members demonstrated his genuine passion for helicopters. It is a passion shared across a facility that sits at the center of UK helicopter operations.
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Featured image credited to Airbus Helicopters UK
