Commercial Helicopter Demand Continues to Rise

The commercial helicopter market continues to grow and won’t be slowing down for the foreseeable future, according to a forecast from Honeywell. Growing global economies and demands from helicopter operators mean growing backlogs for AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter Co., Eurocopter, Robinson Helicopter Co. and Sikorsky Aircraft. Honeywell has predicted that 8,000 turbine engine helicopters will be delivered between this year and 2017 with 3,500 of those deliveries by 2011. Honeywell cited the growing presence of rotorcraft in events such as the wildfires in Greece as validating the use of helicopters. The forecast said that helicopter use in the areas of law enforcement, medical evacuation and search and rescue will account for more than 60 percent of new rotorcraft sales between this year and 2017. The oil and gas exploration industry is also spurring the demand for rotorcraft. For related news