Civil helicopter deliveries to reach 4,100 before 2024
About 4,100 civil helicopters are expected to be delivered to customers worldwide over the next four years, according to Honeywell’s new global helicopter outlook report.
These projections are up 14% over the past five-year figures, with 3,600 helicopters delivered between 2014-2018.
“This year, we anticipate higher deliveries due to entry into service of new helicopter platforms,” said Heath Patrick, President, Americas aftermarket, Honeywell Aerospace.
Over the next couple of years, the first Kopter SH09 are expected to begin. Bell’s super-medium offering, the 525 Relentless, was slated to start deliveries in 2019, following several delays. When this deadline was not met, Bell announced that it will stop entry-into-service predictions for the model, but deliveries may start before 2024.
‘Prepared for the upswing’
Fleet expansion is expected to grow, despite slightly lower purchase plan estimations. The report also highlights higher utilisation rates in 2020.
“Despite the slight dip in purchase plans, we see several bright spots, including higher utilisation rates. This means operators plan to use their aircraft more frequently over the next 12 months,” said Patrick.
“Honeywell is prepared for this upswing and is committed to providing seamless global customer support, while also maintaining our focus on bringing new, innovative products to the helicopter market.”
Between now and 2024, 33% of helicopter usage is expected to be in the utility market – making it the largest usage case for helicopters over the period. Corporate flying missions and EMS/SAR [Emergency Medical Services/Search and Rescue) flights account for 25% and 24% of helicopter use cases over the period.
Region breakdown
Latin America is expected to lead the growth between 2020-2024, accounting for 29% of the worldwide fleet expansion over the time period. Europe will be the second largest area for deliveries, accounting for 18%,. North America is predicted to account for 12%, Asia Pacific for 7% and the Middle East for 5%.
Asia Pacific has been considered one of the most promising growth markets for civil helicopters for the past few years; following several high-profile large orders from Chinese operators for utility and EMS fleets.
