Airbus deliveries and orders fell in 2017
Airbus Helicopters saw a drop in both deliveries and orders in 2017 compared to 2016.
The French manufacturer delivered 409 helicopters in 2017, less than the 418 it delivered in 2016. The story is the same for orders, netting 350 in 2017 as opposed to the 388 Airbus signed in 2016. By the end of the year, the company’s order book stood at 692 helicopters.
Despite the overall drop-off, Airbus delivered five more civil and parapublic helicopters in 2017 than in 2016, with 260 in total, representing 50% of the 520 helicopter deliveries made across 2017. Bell had the second largest market share with 18% and Leonardo followed closely with 17%.
The company’s flagship medium helicopters showed positive results. Airbus booked 54 Super Puma orders in 2017, the largest number the medium-class family has booked in three years and more than double 2016’s figure of 23. The H175 saw and uptick in orders, securing 19 bookings compared to the eight in 2016.
Light single-engine helicopters secured the most orders, netting 168 in 2017 but this was 20 less than the 188 in 2016. The H145, H175, and the H155 also had slightly less deliveries than in 2016.
Chapter closing
Last year marked three years since the company’s full integration into Airbus Group and the introduction and certification of the H175, H145, and H135 in 2014.
Guillaume Faury, Airbus Helicopters chief executive officer, said: “We are now closing the first chapter of the company-wide transformation launched in 2014, which has allowed us to become stronger and leaner in a challenging market environment. Our 2017 results are a testimony to the great work done by our teams to transform our industrial operations, improve our products and services, while delivering an ambitious innovation roadmap to prepare the future of vertical flight.
“As we launch a second wave of company transformation this year, our main focus will be to speed up these efforts through increased digitalisation of our products, services and operations – for the benefit of our customers and the safety of our fleet.”
