HI Uplift: ACH boss talks new heli models and superyachts

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by Mike Stones

12 November 2026

All aboard: ACH invited select Monaco show goers for an aerial tour in this H160.

The rotary transfer market to and from superyachts falls under the Helicopter Investor spotlight this week. As we complete preparations for our first Superyacht Investor Miami conference, which opens on Monday, we chat to the new head of Airbus Corporate Helicopters. Nicolas Boltoukhine talks new models, luxury brand partnerships and sales to the superyacht sector.

So, join us now as we step back to the Monaco Yacht Show. Where better to talk than the roof of the Yacht Club de Monaco, drenched in September sunshine? And, who better to ask the questions than Rob Hodgetts, editor of our sister title Superyacht Investor? They began their lofty conversation beside a full-scale cabin mock-up of the new ACH140, due to enter service in 2030.

Positioned between the established ACH135 and ACH145, the new model was designed with superyacht operations in mind. The ACH140 retains the same aircraft footprint – or D-value – as the ACH135, designed to remain compatible with yacht operations, but offers nearly a third more cabin space, according to the manufacturer.

To and from shore

The flexible cabin plan enables configurations to suit yacht owners’ changing needs – seating to carry up to six yacht guests, plus two pilots, to and from shore or transporting supplies and equipment, The ACH140 cabin can also be configured for emergency medical transport.

Helicopters offer the perfect time-saving solution, claims the OEM. Whether it is easy access to shore to respond to business needs or for medical needs or to entertain clients, rotary transfers are safe, quick and efficient whatever the sea state, it argues.

Taking a more active role at the show than the ACH140 cabin mock-up was the ACH160. The company deployed an aircraft to whisk guests off for an aerial tour of the Bay of Monaco, luxury yachts clustered in Port Hercule and the surrounding mountains of the Maritime Alps.

During the flight guests were also treated to a display of the ACH160’s automatic recovery mode built into its Helionix avionics suite. This is designed to combat spatial disorientation and upset flight attitudes. Double-clicking a dedicated button on the cyclic/collective activates the full-time automatic flight control system (AFCS), which intervenes to recover and stabilise the aircraft into a safe, level flight from extreme attitudes. The system is even said to autonomously recover the aircraft from inverted flight and to compensate for the loss of an engine as well as control take off.

Superyachts and luxury cars

Forging industry partnerships – on land and at sea – is key to developing markets for the company’s corporate and VIP helicopters, the ACH boss told us. Two examples are ACH’s associations with superyachts and luxury cars.

In the yachting world, ACH partners with superyacht brokerage and management company Edmiston. “We have a close collaboration with Edmiston and monitor trends in the superyacht sector along with feedback from customers,” said Boltoukhine. (No stranger to rotary aviation, Edmiston took over title sponsorship of London Heliport – the capital’s only CAA-licensed heliport on August 1st, 2019 – coinciding with the heliport’s 60th anniversary).

ACH also works with yacht designers and the safety group Maritime Aviation to develop the helicopter transfer market for luxury vessels. It is even working with Alexander McDiarmid Design to develop GEx – a 130m ice-class polar explorer concept cable of accommodating up to four ACH145s.

The superyacht sector is a small but highly significant business for the manufacturer. “It’s obvious that we have to go in this market,” said Boltoukhine. “Customers in this market are very well informed and demanding – as some already own not just yachts but also jets.”

Incorporating helicopter operations

Serving customers well depends on understanding their needs intimately. “Some owners ask for bigger and bigger yachts and with new ways of conceiving helicopters on board their vessels – profiles are merging,” he added. “You’ve got your traditional superyacht owner who likes to extend his lifestyle beyond the horizon, wherever he goes, but then you’ve got the adventurer who uses his yacht for exploration. This yacht brings together the best of a superyacht with the best of an exploration yacht by merging and incorporating the helicopter operations at the same time.”

Recent rotary sales to superyacht owners and operators are difficult to uncover. But ACH is thought to account for about 70% of total sales with the ACH135 and ACH145 dominating the market. Former CEO Fred Lemos told us in June 2022 that the manufacturer sold about seven to eight helicopters a year to superyacht buyers. The following year we learnt ACH was tracking 78 new yacht builds that could need helicopters, with vessels at the top end of the market adding not one but two helidecks.

During one of his first media interviews in September, Boltoukhine looked forward to the company’s 10th anniversary next year. “ACH has gone from strength to strength,” he said. “First, a year-on-year growth of 20% on average with next to 700 aircraft booked. We have plenty of new customers and many collaborations worldwide.” Airbus Business Aviation is the only aerospace manufacturer to have “a dedicated fixed and rotary wing PBA [private and business aviation] offering”, he added. Clients could draw on a full range of products from ACH and Airbus Corporate Jets.

Sold nearly all 30 aircraft

It’s not just the luxury yacht market that occupies ACH. It has also launched brand partnerships with luxury car makers. In one of his first interviews, Boltoukhine pledged to refresh existing partnerships with luxury car brands such as the ACH130 Aston Martin editions, which has sold nearly all 30 aircraft of its limited-edition series, and the ACH145 Mercedes-Benz edition partnership launched in 2010.

The new CEO is very familiar with the world of rotary aviation. His many logbooks record thousands of hours accumulated as a French Army, Gazelle tank-busting pilot and 14 years as both a pilot and CEO at French helicopter and fixed wing airline Oya Vendée Hélicoptères. He joined Airbus Helicopters in 2022 as marketing manager of the H160 – so he is no stranger to the aircraft on display at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Meanwhile, our Superyacht Investor Miami 2027 conference takes place at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach on Monday November 16th. Full details of this one-day event are available here. Plus, you can strap into the cabin of an ACH160 with our intrepid reporter for an aerial tour of the Monaco area here.

For more news and views about superyacht investments worldwide, say: Ahoy to our sister title Superyacht Investor.