First Eurocopter EC 135 Hermès Is Back on the Market
Falcon Aviation Services, a charter operator based in Abu Dhabi, has placed its Eurocopter EC 135 “L'Hélicoptère par Hermès” on the market, less than five

Falcon Aviation Services, a charter operator based in Abu Dhabi, has placed its Eurocopter EC 135 “L'Hélicoptère par Hermès” on the market, less than five months after taking delivery. UK-based PremiAir is marketing the luxurious light twin. Although Falcon Aviation is “operationally very happy with the aircraft,” CEO Philip Markham told AIN, it fills a niche market that is “at this point somewhat limited.” Markham noted the air-conditioning under-performs in the extreme heat the Middle East regularly experiences. Eurocopter is working to fix the issue. In May, Falcon Aviation was still hoping for success with a four-passenger rotorcraft meeting the needs of VIP and business travelers. The firm operates a fleet of 21 aircraft–17 helicopters and four business jets–of eight different types. It is now “in the process of consolidating the number of aircraft types it operates,” Markham said. Eurocopter has delivered two examples of the $8 million EC 135 Hermès version so far–the second one in Tokyo–and has another three on order.