Rotorcraft
Heli Yachting: Taking Your Airport with You
Like private aviation, large, oceangoing yachts carrying their own helicopters are seeing strong use during the pandemic.
Helicopter yacht operations represent a demanding niche segment of the rotorcraft industry. (Photo: Airbus Helicopters)
Helicopter yacht operations represent a demanding niche segment of the rotorcraft industry. (Photo: Airbus Helicopters)

While the global pandemic has caused a surge in private aviation as high-net-worth individuals gravitate away from crowded commercial airlines and their currently diminished schedules, the large-yacht industry is also booming. As people look to find socially distanced leisure activities for themselves and their families, some boatyards are reporting backlogs of more than two years. At the high end of the scale are the mega-yachts and super-yachts that are equipped with helipads.

“That ease of not necessarily being tied to an airport makes it very appealing," said Emma Watson, director of St. Maarten-based HeliRiviera Caraïbes. “Especially if you put the world of yachting into it, where your airport is wherever you park your boat and your airport follows you around wherever you might want to go.”