Aersud Elicotteri is synonymous with an outstanding passion for the civilian aviation. Right from the beginning, this passion has been the main driving force behind the company’s successful development.
“It was my father who founded the company in 1963,” explains President Riccardo Aichner. “He was a pilot in World War II; he was even awarded a gold medal for special military merits. Even after the war, he was deeply involved in aviation, and based on his fundamental know-how, he developed civilian aviation further. Aersud Elicotteri cooperated with the Italian Aviation Authorities to work out laws and regulations that liberalized the use of helicopters in Italy for instance.”
At an early stage, Aersud started establishing partnerships with helicopter producers such as Airbus and developed several activities.
“In the 1970s, the helicopter industry basically did not exist in Italy,” says Mr. Aichner. “When we started representing Airbus Helicopter in Italy, this was something completely new, and it spurred the development of the entire market.”
Today, Aersud Elicotteri has 70 employees and has sold 450 helicopters in Italy so far. It represents Airbus Helicopters in Italy and other countries and has offices in Rome, Verona and Trento.
“Some time ago, we started shifting our focus outside Italy,” adds Mr. Aichner. “As we work a lot with the Albanian government, we opened a site in Albania to offer complete services close to our customers. At the moment, we are thinking of a base in Turkey as well.”
In Italy and abroad, Aersud Elicotteri concentrates on the distribution of new and used helicopters and maintenance services. Its Airbus helicopters come in a broad range for the most diverse purposes, from helicopter emergency medical services, fire fighting and civil defence to passenger transport and corporate needs.
Among its bestsellers are the multipurpose H145 helicopter and the light aircraft H135, which stands out as it can land almost anywhere – a great advantage given Italy’s mountainous landscape. H125 comes as another light helicopter used to transport passengers but also for missions like fire fighting, life-saving or crop spraying.
In 2018, the range will be completed by the H160 model, a medium utility helicopter designed to create added value in terms of performance, competitiveness, safety and comfort. For Airbus Helicopter and Aersud Elicotteri, this will be the beginning of a new chapter.
