Italian helicopter manufacturers expect further cooperation with China

TIANJIN, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Multiple Italian helicopter manufacturers and suppliers have expressed their high expectations for further cooperation with Chinese counterparts.

During the sixth China Helicopter Exposition, which concluded in mid-September in north China's Tianjin Municipality, over 350 exhibitors, including many Italian industry leaders in the helicopter sector, attended the event in a bid to seek business opportunities in China's burgeoning aviation industry.

At this year's edition of the expo, the Italian Aviation Company booth was featured with real-time displays and presentations by a batch of Italian companies.

The Italian Aerospace Network (IAN), an industry association, helped bring five Italian companies to the expo. "We are optimistic about the market environment in China, and we also see the development opportunities for Italian companies in China. The experience of joining the expo is very good," said Andrea Spiriti, president of the IAN.

As China's top helicopter expo for global participants, the China Helicopter Exposition is now widely recognized as an important indicator of the country's helicopter industry development and a perfect window for international cooperation in the sector.

Luca Greco, key account manager of the sales department in CIMA, an Italian helicopter gear and transmission manufacturer, said that his colleagues attended the second China Helicopter Exposition held a decade ago in China. However, this year's edition presented itself with a scale beyond comparison to the expo's 2013 edition.

"Our product is a particular part of the helicopter, so we made it all in Italy at the moment. In the future, we hope to cooperate with Chinese companies," said Greco.

Leonardo Helicopters, one of the world's leading manufacturers in civil helicopters, showcased its 8.6-tonne twin-engine helicopter AW189, 7-tonne twin-engine helicopter AW139 -- its most popular model for civil applications-- as well as the 3.2-tonne twin-engine helicopter AW109SP to this year's expo, drawing much attention from purchasers.

During the exhibition, the company also delivered two AW189 helicopters to the Beijing General Aviation Co., Ltd. and four AW139 helicopters to another Chinese client, CITIC Offshore Helicopter.

"We have participated in all the helicopter expos over the years since its first session. The scale of the expo is getting larger and larger, and more and more Chinese self-developed brands are showing up," said Zhang Jianye, head of Leonardo Helicopters' China branch.

The two AW189 helicopters delivered to Beijing will be adopted for future emergency rescue and disaster relief. The model has already proved its good performance during its participation in relevant rescue work in some flood-stricken areas of Beijing this year, Zhang explained.

The expo has provided a communication platform for open exchanges, where global helicopter enterprises can cooperate with each other, jointly promoting the development of the industry, Zhang added.

Zhang believes that China's civil helicopter market will continue to grow and attract more investment in the near future.

"We hold an open attitude and hope to have more cooperation with Chinese partners in the future. China's open attitude and rapid economic development will attract more foreign companies' attention," he said.