Eurocopter says the helicopter market is recovering

Eurocopter EC175 mock-up at Helitech 2013 © Corporate Jet Investor Terry Spruce

Eurocopter executives claim that the global helicopter is on the brink of recovering from its post-2008 slump.

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Speaking at Helitech International 2013 at London’s ExCel Centre last week, Markus Steinke, manager director of Eurocopter UK, and Jens Stoetzer, vice president of marketing and business development for Eurocopter, said they have noticed early signs of recovery for the global helicopter market.

Stoetzer was more optimistic than his colleague, saying: “I think we have recovered from the 2008 crisis.” He noted improvements across a range of markets, including emergency medical service (EMS), oil and gas and VIP helicopters.

While Steinke said “we are not back at the levels of 2007,” he seen he had noticed the helicopter fleet in the UK “slightly increasing” since the start of 2013.

Eurocopter was well represented at Helitech International 2013. The company, which is owned by EADS, displayed two EC130 T2 and EC145 T2 helicopters on the main exhibition stand, which Eurocopter UK had showcased to operators and private clients in the previous week at Denham and Oxford.

Inside the centre, Eurocopter also displayed a full-size mock-up of a a 10-seater EC175 helicopter in VIP configuration, which received two orders from undisclosed customers attending the London event.