Airbus, SIDBI sign MoU for helicopter financing in India

New Delhi, May 20 (FN Agency) Airbus Helicopters and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) on Monday announced that the two entities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for financing the purchase of Airbus’ helicopters in India. As per the pact, both Airbus Helicopters and SIDBI will identify potential civil helicopter operators in India who are interested in financing solutions for purchasing Airbus helicopters.

Airbus will provide the technical and helicopter industry knowledge to SIDBI which will evaluate these prospects and finance them exclusively for Airbus. “The MoU with SIDBI opens a new chapter in making civil helicopters more accessible to operators in India, which will further position these rotary wing aircraft as a critical tool for nation building. Combining our unmatched product portfolio and industry expertise with SIDBI’s attractive financing solutions will play a pivotal role in the expansion of the civil helicopter market in India,” said Sunny Guglani, Head of Airbus Helicopters, India and South Asia. The development marks SIDBI’s foray into helicopter financing which has huge growth potential. Speaking on the occasion, Rahul Priyadarshi, Chief General Manager, SIDBI, said, “This (is) a new area for financing to helicopter operators by SIDBI and is expected to open new avenues for financing MSMEs related to this segment.”