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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Eurocopter Name Change to Airbus Helicopters Becomes Official

By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief

EADS has kicked-off the New Year with a group rebranding, which has also affected the Eurocopter name. EADS, now to be known as the Airbus Group, will feature divisions called Airbus, Airbus Defence and Space, and Airbus Helicopters. Airbus will focus on the commercial aircraft business and Airbus Defence and Space will integrate its Cassidian, Astrium and Airbus Military businesses, while Airbus Helicopters is a direct name change from Eurocopter.

The decision to rebrand was announced in July 2013 and received mixed reaction from the rotorcraft industry. Eurocopter was widely considered as a global brand with no adverse connotations as a result of the reference to Europe. (Related: See "Aircopter? Helibus? Anatomy of a Name")

 

Tom Enders takes the wraps off Airbus Group. Photo courtesy of Airbus

 

The rebranding was perhaps more relevant to the defense side of the Airbus Group’s business. The legal name will also be changed by 2015 from Airbus Group NV to Airbus Group SE (Societas Europaea). The stock symbol for the group has changed to AIR. As of Jan. 2, the helicopter maker's website remains under the Eurocopter branding, while visitors to the EADS website are directed to the new Airbus Group website. Still unclear in today's announcements is how the name change will affect the future of the "EC" helicopter designations of current Eurocopter variants, for example whether an EC135 will become an AH135.

The divisions of Aerospatiale and Daimler-Benz Aerospace merged in 1992 to form the Eurocopter Group. The company’s heritage traces back to Bleriot and Liore et Olivier in France and Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf in Germany, according to Eurocopter