Airbus Helicopters has finalized an agreement to build an assembly line in China as part of a 1bn euro deal to sell 100 H135 helicopters to a local consortium of China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS), Qingdao United General Aviation Industrial Development Company (Qingdao United) and CITIC Offshore Helicopter Co Ltd.
The factory will be located in the Sino-German Ecopark in the coastal city of Qingdao, and is expected to start operations in 2018 with a capacity of 36 units per annum.
The light twin-engined H135 is already used in China for medical services and police surveillance.
Airbus Helicopters sees demand for 3,000-5,000 helicopters in China over the next 20 years.
"With the further opening up of the Chinese skies and the increasing growth in the civil and parapublic segments, China is gearing up to be the biggest market for helicopters in years to come," Norbert Ducrot, head of Airbus Helicopters China and North Asia region, said in a statement.