HELICOPTER SALES FORCAST STRONG FOR light single engine helicopters. We are often asked, “How is the helicopter market doing?” A well researched answer comes from Honeywell’s most recent survey of over 1,000 managers and chief pilots which indicates:
- Operator Preferences by Class of Helicopter
Light single-engine helicopters continue to be the most popular product class for five-year fleet replacement and expansion … The most frequently mentioned light-single models were AS350B series, Bell 407 and Robinson … Light-single helicopters had the highest concentration of regional purchase interest in the Americas, while purchase interest was lower in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. - Helicopter Utilization Expected to Increase
Plans for increased helicopter fleet utilization in 2012 were reported by operators in all but one region. Planned increases in each region were:
• North America: 14% of operators planning increases, and only 4% planning decreases
• Europe : 18% of operators planning increases, and 12% planning decreases
• Latin America: 32% of operators planning increases and only 2% planning decreases
• Middle East / Africa: 26% of operators planning increases and only 4% planning decreases
• Asia: 19 % of operators planning increases, and 9 percent planning decreases
Interesting!