Eurocopter helicopters EC175.— VNA/VNS Photos Anh Tuan

BA RIA – VUNG TAU (Biz Hub)— Executives from Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group are in Viet Nam to pitch their latest twin-engine helicopter, the EC175.

They provided a demonstration flight yesterday, carrying journalists and officials from the Southern Viet Nam Helicopter Company in the sky of coastal Vung Tau City.

The machine is designed primarily for the offshore oil and gas industry, they said.

Jochen Schmid, an Eurocopter executive, said Viet Nam is among his firm's most important customers.

Besides the Southern Viet Nam Helicopter Company, the Northern Viet Nam Helicopter Company and some other small companies have also bought their helicopters, he said.

Accordingly, the Southern Viet Nam Helicopter Company, helicopters for the oil and gas industries usually cost around US$30 million, but Eurocopter is offering the EC175 for $20 million.

Eurocopter helicopters have for long served the country's oil and gas industry.

The Southern Company, which also uses them for tourism and transportation, has 10 of them plus seven Russian-made choppers.

The EC175 carries up to 18 people. With a reduced complement of seven passengers, it can fly between Truong Sa Islands and the mainland.

With its ability to operate well in temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius, the craft is suitable for Asian countries.

The medium-sized machine can however be used for a full range of applications, including oil and gas airlift duties, search and rescue, emergency medical services, public services, and VIP and executive transport.

Eurocopter is the world's number one helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 5.4 billion euro ($7.4 billion) last year.

The executives will leave for Thailand on Friday to continue their Asian tour, which also took them to Malaysia — VNS