Rotorcraft
European Helicopter Market Bounces Back
Emergency medical services, search and rescue, and offshore wind operations helped keep the European helicopter market humming through the pandemic.

While fixed-wing commercial air transport in Europe was severely hit by the global Covid-19 pandemic, the helicopter industry has been coping well, experts agree. The European helicopter market, in line with the wider global economy, did feel the effects of the pandemic in early-to-mid 2020. However, that impact was minimal compared to the commercial fixed-wing market, observes Christopher Grainger v-p of marketing for the European, Middle East, and Africa regions at LCI Helicopters (Booth 11348). “Since then the market has bounced back strongly, particularly in the emergency medical services [EMS], search and rescue [SAR], offshore wind, and corporate/VIP sectors,” Grainger said. “Once again, helicopters have proven their resilience during difficult times, due in large part to the mission-critical nature of the roles they perform.”