The world's largest helicopter manufacturer, Eurocopter, said it intended to establish a production line with Kingwing General Aviation and CITIC Offshore Helicopter Company (COHC) for one of its most popular models to take advantage of the fast growing Chinese market.

If the deal goes through, the Shanghai unit will be the second manufacturing line opened by the EU helicopter-making giant in China, where the market's need for the machine is growing by 15 to 20 per cent every year and is expected to become the world's largest over the next two decades. It opened its first production line in Harbin in the 1980s. 　

Eurocopter, an affiliate of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), also set up a maintenance centre yesterday in Shanghai, partnering with local aircraft leasing company Kingwing, a Shenzhen-based firm.

The maintenance centre was part of the agreement reached in October when Eurocopter sold two EC-135 helicopters to Kingwing for more than 100 million yuan (US$12.8 million). The two sides will build an assembly line for EC-135 helicopters in Shanghai when the time is right, they said.

Eurocopter and China's only helicopter maker, China Aviation Industry Corporation II, are developing an advanced helicopter, which is expected to make its maiden flight in 2009.

Source:佚名