Chinese helicopter sales surge as airspace rules relaxed
A relaxing of tight airspace rules in China last year has led to a surge in helicopter orders in the country. "This year we have already received more than 200 orders from China alone. This is more than we have received for the rest of the world", said Patrick Moulay, executive vice president at Bell Helicopter. The gap between the size of China's helicopter fleet and that of the US is fast closing, said Moulay.

China's growing love affair with helicopters looks set to continue.

Previously tight airspace rules in the country were relaxed in 2016, allowing civilian use below 3,000 meters. In the months that followed, Bell Helicopter, Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo Helicopters have all secured big orders in China.

In June, Bell secured a bumper contract to sell 100 407GXP helicopters to Shaanxi Helicopter (SHC).

Speaking at the Dubai Airshow on Tuesday, Patrick Moulay, the executive vice president of global sales for Bell Helicopter, said the gap between the fleet size in China and that of the U.S. was huge and the former is racing to catch up.

"This year we have already received more than 200 orders from China alone. This is more than we have received for the rest of the world," Moulay said.