Eurocopter South East Asia Celebrates 25 Years in Asia

On Thursday 16 January 2003 in Singapore, where Eurocopter's subsidiary Eurocopter South East Asia (ESEA) is based, a ceremony will be held to mark its 25th year of activity. On hand for this event will be Eurocopter Deputy to the-President and CEO, Fabrice Brégier, who will take over as Eurocopter Group President and CEO from Jean-François Bigay in April 2003, Senior Executive Vice-President Philippe Harache, and the subsidiary's President Bruno Boulnois. One of the high points will unquestionably be the Golf Tournament, when competitors will have a chance of winning the "Hole in One" Prize; in this case an EC 120 B Colibri, which symbolizes the excellent joint work carried out by Eurocopter, Singapore and China. The presence of Eurocopter (formerly Aerospatiale and MBB) in Asia and Australasia reflects a longstanding tradition of cooperation: license programs in China (Dauphin), Indonesia (Super Puma and BO 105), and India (Alouette 3 and Lama); cooperative development programs with Singapore and China (EC 120), and India (ALH); the founding of subsidiaries in Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia; and lastly the creation of joint ventures in Japan. For Eurocopter, ASEAN is an inescapable pole of activity, given the impressive fleet operating in the region. The large-scale investments made in this part of the world - 3 subsidiaries and several approved repair centers - are striking proof of the confidence in the region's human, industrial, business and political skills. This is why Eurocopter has decided to pursue this strategy and has chosen Singapore, in the form of ESEA, as the site for its Eurocopter Regional Support Headquarters for the entire Asia-Pacific zone. The goal is to be more efficient by coordinating the local entities as part of the "Think globally, Act locally" approach. In addition to ESEA, Eurocopter and Singapore Technologies have, for a long time, worked together in an excellent partnership. Over and above its involvement in the EC 120 B Colibri program, Singapore Technologies is for Eurocopter the center of excellence for depot level maintenance on Cougar helicopters and their dynamic components. In this way, the customers can be sure they will enjoy the guarantee of Eurocopter quality locally. This business approach for the Asia-Pacific region is part of Eurocopter's worldwide effort "To become number one in customer satisfaction". The 25 years of ESEA in Singapore and South East Asia easily outstrip the record of the other helicopter manufacturers. This presence is unmistakable proof of the loyalty and long-term vision of ESEA, not only for the current and future customers, but also for its shareholders, Eurocopter and Singapore Technologies. The excellent results that ESEA is expected to post for 2002 are the fruit of the subsidiary's motivation, skills and dynamism, and they provide a guarantee of its future durability. EADS is a global aerospace and defence company, and is the world's second largest in terms of revenues, having achieved 30.8 billion euros in 2001. EADS maintains a workforce of more than 100,000 and is a market leader in defence technologies, commercial aircraft, helicopters, space, military transport and combat aircraft, as well as related services. Its family of leading brands includes the commercial aircraft maker Airbus; Eurocopter, the world's largest helicopter manufacturer; Astrium, the space company and MBDA, the world's second largest missile company. EADS is also the biggest partner in the Eurofighter consortium and heads the A400M military transport aircraft programme. EADS has more than 70 facilities in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. It is active in markets around the world, including the U.S. and Asia. For further information, please contact : Jean-Louis Espes (in France) Tel: (+33) 4 42 85 95 55 Fax: (+33) 4 42 85 95 64 Christina Gotzhein (in Germany) Tel: (+49 89) 6000 6488 Fax: (+49 89) 6000 4437