Airbus Helicopters, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Airbus Helicopters, Inc. Retirement Plan
Herndon, VAManufacturing906 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$8,898Employer $ per active participant
$9,302Employee $ saved per active participant
0.07%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$168.8MNet plan assets, end of year
$152,876Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity47.4 / 5095th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.3 / 2581th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.0 / 1587th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
Total score91 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 95th |
| Lower admin cost | 81th |
| Employee saving | 87th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Airbus Helicopters put in about $8,898 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $8,061,263 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $8,427,264 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,589,592 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $120,352 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $105,832 |
| Benefits paid out | $28,544,394 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $0 / $168.8M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 854 / 958 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,104 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Ernst & Young U.S. LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $105,831 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $14,520 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014182920NAL0001750323001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 75-2416720, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.