Press Release

Issued by .

March 18, 2015

Airbus Helicopters today signed a contract with Aerial Power Lines Sdn Bhd (APL) for the purchase of two H135 rotorcraft to be utilized on emergency medical service (EMS) duties, and placed options for six more. In addition, this operator placed options for two H175s to support the company's business needs, whose operations also include power line monitoring and utility work.

Signing the agreements at the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition 2015 (LIMA) were Fabrice Rochereau, Airbus Helicopters vice president and head of sales for the south east Asia and Pacific region, and Dato' Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, chairman of Sarawak Cable. Sarawak Cable is the parent company of APL.

“We are honored to be chosen as the helicopter manufacturer for this important milestone in Malaysia, delivering the first rotorcraft fully dedicated to EMS, search and rescue, and medical evacuation operations in the country,” Rochereau said. “APL's decision to provide such services for the people of Malaysia is highly commendable, and we are committed to support them in its successful deployment.”

The H135 for APL will be outfitted with the latest state-of-the-art EMS equipment, making it the most technologically advanced H135 in Malaysia. Known formally as the EC135, the H135 is Airbus Helicopters' multi-mission twin-engine rotorcraft that has been specially designed for EMS missions; oversized sliding side doors and rear clamshell doors enable fast loading/unloading of patients, with additional safety during ground operations ensured by Airbus Helicopters' signature shrouded Fenestron tail rotor.

APL presently owns an H135 and H125 (previously designated the AS350 B3e), with a heavier-lift H225 to be delivered in mid-2015. The utilization of these helicopters range from passenger transport and utility to power grid management.

Notably, APL's first two helicopters were successfully deployed for relief missions during the floods in Malaysia last December, delivering 16 tons of food and water into rural areas of the state of Kelantan. They will soon be chartered to GMC International for use in specialized aerial work. The three-year service agreement was signed during LIMA, where APL will provide their H125 and H135 for carrying out 3-D digital mapping work in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Cambodia.

“We are very pleased with the performance of the two light helicopters,” said APL chief executive officer major (retired) Wan Izani Wan Ismail. “Despite having them delivered only six months before the flood relief operations, they performed outstandingly. We are confident that they will be highly appreciated by GMC as well.”