Eurocopter signs contract for A350XWB door manufacture

Eurocopter's collaboration with Airbus on the new A350 XWB has taken on a new dimension in the signing of a major contract at the Eurocopter facility in Donauwörth.

The helicopter manufacturer has been chosen to develop and manufacture the door systems for the most recent member of the Airbus fleet. The contract for the development, production and delivery of all passenger and cargo doors for the A350 XWB was signed on behalf of Airbus by Klaus Richter, executive vice president, Procurement, and on behalf of Eurocopter Deutschland by Dr Wolfgang Schoder, CEO.

The ceremony was attended by high-ranking government officials, including Parliamentary State Secretary Peter Hintze, and by Dr Lutz Bertling, president and CEO of the Eurocopter Group. The 1.5 billion Euro contract represents a further step in the process of generating synergies between helicopter manufacturing and the design of aircraft doors in general.

By assuming responsibility for the development and manufacture of all A350 XWB doors, Eurocopter has reached another milestone in its efforts to be recognized as a fully-fledged systems provider.

“This A350 XWB contract with Airbus, which gives us the go-ahead for the production phase, is of decisive importance to the future sustainability of our manufacturing site in Germany,” declared Lutz Bertling, president and CEO of the Eurocopter Group. “It confirms our position as an experienced and highly skilled manufacturer of aircraft components, rather than merely as a leader in the helicopter business. It also confirms that our Centre of Excellence for Airplane Door Systems is on the right track by shifting its focus from traditional metal structures to new manufacturing technologies based on composite materials.”

www.eurocopter.com