In a LinkedIn post made on 9th July by Lenny Brown, MD of Airbus Helicopters UK, the company implied that excavator manufacturer JCB has not yet accepted or taken delivery of their first H160. We reported this helicopter’s arrival into the UK over five months ago on 28th January.

Brown was reporting the arrival of a second H160 into the UK – a corporate aircraft for T J Morris Ltd (also known as retailer Home Bargains) which was delivered to the Airbus facility at Oxford Airport on 6th July. In his post, Brown announced the latest arrival as the “first and finest H160 to operate in the UK”, with an accompanying video of it landing at London Heliport. This wording confirms that JCB’s first (of two) H160s has yet to operate in the UK, and thus JCB have not yet accepted delivery of the aircraft.  Additionally, the use of the word “finest” shows it is being compared to another aircraft in the UK, which can only refer to JCB’s H160.

HeliHub.com reached out to Airbus Helicopters UK, and a spokesman advised that they had no further comment to make on the matter.

Further enquiries with various industry sources confirms that JCB has not only cancelled its order for two H160s,  but that they are already in negotiations with another OEM for two corporate helicopters.

Helicopter market analysts Parapex Media note from their extensive database of turbine helicopters that the first JCB H160 – MSN 1010 – remains on the Isle of Man register in the name of Airbus Helicopters UK Ltd. The second aircraft for JCB – MSN 1021 – has not arrived in the UK and is already having the JCB corporate colour scheme removed at the factory in Marignane.

HeliHub.com also contacted JCB’s corporate flight department at East Midlands Airport for a statement, and despite assurances of a call-back, no response was received in the 24 hours before publication.

JCB is a very experienced owner of corporate aircraft, from their first purchase of a De Havilland Dove in 1960, and adding rotary-wing operations in 1978 with an AB206 JetRanger. Their current fleet is one Bombardier Global 7500 and two Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopters.