Nazarbayev and Sarkozy's Brainchild Now Under French Control

The Franco-German company Airbus Helicopters has increased its share in the authorized capital of the Kazakhstani Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering LLP to 90%, Orda.kz reports, citing Novoye Pokolenie. 

The Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering company was created in 2011 on the initiative of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the first president of Kazakhstan, and Nicolas Sarkozy, the then-president of France. Airbus Helicopters owned half of the authorized capital of the LLP, and Kazakhstan Engineering the other.

The goal of the project is to create a modern high-tech helicopter ecosystem in Kazakhstan: assembly industry, maintenance and service, training,the company’s official website says. 

Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering has officially announced its rebranding. The company has changed its name to Airbus Helicopters Kazakhstan Engineering. Commenting on this decision, Airbus Vice President Thomas Hein said that Kazakhstan Engineering retained a 10% stake in the joint venture to “continue to participate in strategic management and support the country’s national interests in high-tech industries.”

In recent months, Airbus has been actively expanding cooperation with Kazakhstan. In April, it was reported that the company would send the first A400M military transport aircraft to Kazakhstan for the Ministry of Defense. Kazaviaspas uses helicopters produced by Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering.

A decade ago, in 2014, Eurocopter was involved in a minor media scandal: French media reported that Nursultan Nazarbayev asked Nicolas Sarkozy to help oligarch Patokh Chodiev. The alleged request was so Chodiev would not be criminally prosecuted in exchange for purchasing 45 Eurocopter helicopters. Nazarbayev denied these rumors.

We reported that the Air Astana group would lease new Airbus aircraft in July.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny