This collaboration marks a significant foray of SIDBI into helicopter financing and meeting the financial and development needs of India’s fast-growing rotary wing sector.

Chennai, 20 May, 2024: Airbus Helicopters and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the Government of India’s principal financial institution for promoting, financing and developing the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for financing the purchase of Airbus’ helicopters in India.

The MoU was signed by Rahul Priyadarshi, Chief General Manager, SIDBI and Sunny Guglani, Head of Airbus Helicopters, India and South Asia. Under the MoU, both Airbus Helicopters and SIDBI will identify potential civil helicopter operators in India who are interested in financing solutions for purchasing Airbus helicopters. Airbus will provide the technical and helicopter industry knowledge to SIDBI who will evaluate these prospects and finance them exclusively for Airbus.

Speaking on the occasion, Rahul Priyadarshi, Chief General Manager, SIDBI, said, “This a new area for financing to helicopter operators by SIDBI and is expected to open new avenues for financing MSMEs related to this segment.”

“The MoU with SIDBI opens a new chapter in making civil helicopters more accessible to operators in India, which will further position these rotary wing aircraft as a critical tool for nation building. Combining our unmatched product portfolio and industry expertise with SIDBI’s attractive financing solutions will play a pivotal role in the expansion of the civil helicopter market in India,” said Sunny Guglani, Head of Airbus Helicopters, India and South Asia.

This collaboration marks a significant foray of SIDBI into helicopter financing and meeting the financial and development needs of India’s fast-growing rotary wing sector.

About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI): – https://www.sidbi.in

SIDBI is the Principal Financial Institution for Promotion, Financing and Development of the MSME sector. SIDBI has been playing a significant role in developing the financial services for MSME sector through various interventions including Refinance to Banks, Credit Guarantee programs, Development of the MFI sector, Contribution to Venture capital/AIF funds, MSME ratings, promoting digital lending ecosystem, etc. The Bank has proactively been working towards Energy Efficiency (EE) in MSMEs since 2005-06 using support of multilateral institutions like World Bank, ADB, GiZ, FCDO, JICA, AFD, KfW etc. for energy efficient projects. Furthermore, SIDBI has been touching the lives of citizens across various strata of society through its integrated, innovative, and inclusive approach. Be it traditional, domestic small entrepreneurs, bottom-of-the-pyramid entrepreneurs, to high-end knowledge-based entrepreneurs, SIDBI has directly or indirectly impacted the lives of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) through various credit and developmental measures.