Citic Offshore Helicopter Co., Ltd, China's helicopter giant, has signed a contract this week with Eurocopter, a firm of European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS), for ordering two helicopters at the cost of 24.7 million US dollars.

Sources from the Citic Offshore Helicopter Co., Ltd noted that the order indicates a significant step forward for the Chinese helicopter giant to boost its capacity of transportation.

As the second helicopter provider of China, the Citic Offshore Helicopter Co., Ltd is currently operating a fleet of helicopters imported from Europe, including seven AS 332 LI Super Pumas, five AS 365 N Dauphins, three EC 155 Bs, one EC 135 B and one EC 135 P2.

At present, Eurocopter owns a 21 percent stake of an aviation service company under the Citic Offshore Helicopter Co., Ltd, providing maintenance service for the Chinese company.

The CITIC Offshore Helicopter Company Ltd., based in south China's Shenzhen city, is the first general aviation company listed on China's stock market.

The company, set up on the basis of the China Offshore Helicopter Service Corporation (COHSC), is affiliated with the China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC).

The CITIC company engages in all aspects of work related to civil aviation which include, among others, going for offshore exploration and mining, marine rescue operation, meteorological observation and conducting other scientific experiments.