IBA, a leading aviation market intelligence and consultancy company, has highlighted the growth potential of the helicopter finance and leasing market.
Looking at the helicopter market overall, IBA outlined how there are currently over 22,000 western-built turbine aircraft in operation. In comparison to fixed-wing aircraft leasing, the helicopter leasing market is less mature with more opportunities for growth in multiple global markets.
IBA experts found that the medium-sized helicopter fleet represent the highest combined value. The average age of leased helicopters is around 15 years, with medium helicopters having the highest average at 17 years, followed with super-medium and light both at 14 years, and heavy at 11 years. Looking at specific aircraft, the Leonardo AW139 and Sikorsky S-92A are the most leased helicopter models.
The largest geographical leasing market is Europe, where 12% of all helicopters are leased, followed by North America with 8%.
Between 500 and 550 helicopters are expected to be delivered in 2022.
Breaking down the fleet by size category, the light-helicopter market (2.5 to 4 tonnes), has grown steadily since 2012. Leonardo and Airbus' combined fleet represent over 80% of the light-twin helicopter market, with helicopters in this segment typically having a list price of between US$5 million and US$10 million.
The medium-helicopter-market (4 to 7 tonnes) is set to grow to around 4,200 assets in 2022. Leonardo deliveries outpaced other OEMs in recent years, while Bell's output has slowed. The list price range of this weight category is largely between US$10 million and US$18 million.
The price range of the super-medium weight category (7 to 9 tonnes), is estimated to be between US$15million and US$22 million. Airbus and Leonardo are the main OEMs for this category. The long-term demand for this weight category is being driven by offshore oil and gas growth.
In the heavy category (over 9 tonnes), Airbus and Sikorsky dominate this market with the H225 and S-92A respectively. 2022 has seen increased demand for the S-92, but any potential new built models are unlikely to enter the market until 2025. According to IBA, there has been increasing demand for this category in recent months due to offshore drilling activity.
IBA experts also gave an overview on eVTOL aircraft, where wide-ranging interest has come from traditional airlines, lessors and taxi operators. The market is expected to grow by ~30x within the next ten years to around US$700 million.
Established industry investors now in the eVTOL market include Airbus, Beta Technologies, Elroy Air, Lilium, Vertical Aerospace Group and XTI Aircraft Company. (£1.00 = US$1.23 at time of publication)
