Thailand is an important market for Airbus Helicopters in terms of driving growth and demand, as the tourism sector is growing, medical emergency services have a bright future, and oil and gas business is also huge, said Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, vice president for customers at the France-based company.

Airbus Helicopters also sees huge demand in Indonesia, emerging demand in the Philippines, and more room for business expansion in Taiwan, where it plans to enter with its new H145 model for the first time.

In Thailand, Airbus Helicopter’s customers increased from six in 2009 to 14 in 2015. It plans to have 11 H145 in operation by 2017, from the current fleet of 9.

The H145 civilian helicopter is back in Asia to showcase demonstration flights in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan.

The first H145 demo tour in the region was held in Southeast Asia in 2013, covering Thailand and Malaysia, since which time there has been increasing interest in the rotorcraft, especially in the emergency medical services (EMS) and commercial/business aviation segments, he said.

Current and potential customers will have an opportunity to get familiar with this best-selling light twin-engine rotorcraft, which incorporates Airbus Helicopters’ trademark Fenestronand innovative Helionix avionics suite for enhanced safety, increased performance and reduced pilot workload, he added.

Equipped with a large cabin accommodating up to eight passengers – or 10 in special-operations seating – a compact airframe and powerful engines, the H145 features sophisticated mission capabilities and flexibility, especially in high-and-hot operating conditions, the vice president said.

The H145 is the latest member of the 4-tonne-class H145 family, which has a fleet of 1,230 aircraft in service around the world clocking over 4.4 million flight hours.

Although the aircraft is very popular in the EMS and corporate transportation segments, its built-in flexibility makes it the best choice for a wide variety of missions, Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff said.

The newest, enhanced H145, which entered into service in mid-2014, has already seen some 54 helicopters in operation in 14 countries, accumulating more than 15,400 flight hours with an average availability of over 90 per cent.