All Nippon Helicopter takes delivery of first Airbus H160

All Nippon Helicopter (ANH) has taken delivery of the first Airbus H160. The multi-role twin-engine H160 was delivered from Airbus’ helicopter facility in Kobe, where flight training and specialised equipment installation for electronic news gathering will be performed before the helicopter’s entry into service next year.

“ANH is excited to be the first in the world to receive this state-of-the-art H160 helicopter to support our electronic news gathering missions,” said Jun Yanagawa, President of ANH. “The electronic news gathering industry is changing rapidly, and we are happy to have the perfect helicopter for our operations, becoming the leading workhorse in our Airbus fleet.”

ANH deploys an Airbus helicopter fleet comprising five AS365s and five H135s. The H160 will join its existing fleet for electronic news gathering for the TV stations across Japan.

“It is an honor to have ANH as our very first H160 operator,” said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO. “I would like to thank ANH for their continued trust and confidence in our helicopters. I’m also very proud of the hard work and dedication of our teams in France and Japan in preparation of the aircraft delivery. I can’t wait to see this next-generation helicopter flying the skies of Japan, playing a key role in the country’s electronic news gathering market.”

The H160 was granted its type certificate by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in July 2020, followed by the certification from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) in May 2021 and the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency in September 2021.