Airbus helicopter rendezvous in the land of the long white cloud

Airbus Helicopters organised a unique rendezvous at the beautiful Glendhu Bay, on New Zealand’s South Island. The event celebrated the country’s customer community which has been built across the company’s four decades of presence in the country.

Airbus has occupied an important presence in New Zealand, as the only helicopter manufacturer in the country for more than 30 years. With four locations – three in the north and one in the south – that host a team of 200 employees, the company supports the civil and military platforms, providing support to operators to ensure they can continue to fly their essential missions. 

Over the past 20 years in New Zealand, an impressive 90% of new helicopters sold were from Airbus. These helicopters play a critical role in the country’s civil, parapublic and military missions, ranging from law enforcement, search and rescue, and medical evacuations to tourism and utility.

A flying start

The event certainly captured the imagination of the nation’s operators. More than 10% of the country’s Airbus fleet, which currently numbers 320, flew in for the Kiwi Rendezvous. Totalling over 40 helicopters, their collective importance to the fabric of the nation was truly visible – as was the passion of the people flying them. 

The landing site at the event became one of the busiest heliports in the Southern Hemisphere, with a helicopter landing every six and a half minutes, bringing in a total of 38 aircraft in only four and a half hours. The remaining aircraft had arrived the previous day and were displayed next to the event marquee. 

The event was designed to provide a platform to connect and strengthen the relationships between the New Zealand helicopter community and Airbus, as well as showcasing the community of helicopters flying in the country. From the single engine H120, H125 and H130 to the twin engine H145, H155 and NH90, the event highlighted the depth of Airbus Helicopters’ range. 

Thinking local 

“It’s really a celebration of what these helicopters have done in this community and how they’ve contributed to everything from agriculture to tourism,” said Clint Watt, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Australia and New Zealand. Helicopters offer significant support to agriculture and tourism operators throughout the country, with Airbus estimating that New Zealand’s fleet will soon pass an expected two million flight hours in these market segments. 

Milestones like this are enabled by the local support supplied by Airbus in New Zealand and at the Kiwi Rendezvous it is apparent that the dedication is reciprocated by the operators, who turned up in great numbers. “If you look at the commitment these customers have made to being here it shows you how proud they are and how much they love the aircraft. It’s a testament to the value of building positive relationships with customers,” emphasises Watt.

Indeed this sentiment was perfectly proven by long-term customer, Graeme Gale from HeliOtago, who shared his thoughts on the five-bladed H145 helicopter. “With the H145 for search and rescue operations, this aircraft outperforms anything on the current market today. It’s lightweight, it’s nimble, it’s got extra power available with increased payload for rescues. When you combine all those capabilities, along with a cabin that’s a great size for medical evacuations, this aircraft is so smooth, so outstanding in its capabilities - it’s fantastic,” he said. 

The Kiwi Rendezvous clearly shows that when you have a community of operators who love their helicopters and a local team who love providing them with dedicated support - it’s a perfect match.