On Monday, January 27, 2025, the European company Airbus Helicopters (a part of the Airbus Group) summarized its helicopter sales in both the military and civilian segments for the entire year of 2024. According to the published data, the company recorded 455 gross orders (net: 450), highlighting the continued market growth with particularly strong results this year for light, light twin-engine, and heavy helicopters. Orders came from 182 customers across 42 countries. In 2024, Airbus Helicopters delivered 361 helicopters, securing an estimated 57% market share in the civil and public service sectors.
Photo and graphics: Airbus Helicopters
“Airbus Helicopters’ order intake in 2024, with an increase bordering 10 percent in units for the second year in a row, highlights its stable growth in a complex global environment,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “I would like to thank our customers for continuing to place their trust in Airbus Helicopters in 2024,” he added.
The H215/225 Super Puma/H225M Caracal program has been successful in the civil, public service, and military markets, securing 58 orders thanks to contracts from the German Bundespolizei, the Japanese Coast Guard, the Dutch Ministry of Defense, and the Romanian Ministry of Defense. In 2024, a comprehensive modernization of the NH90 began, known as Block 1. Additionally, flight tests started for the NH90 in the Standard 2 configuration for the French special forces, and the first NH90 in the Standard 3 configuration was delivered to the Spanish Air Force. The H145 and H145M programs welcomed several new defense and security sector customers, including Brunei, Belgium, Indonesia, Bahrain, and Ireland.
“Defence and security is a strategic priority at Airbus Helicopters. We are proud to support our customers with helicopters that enable them to protect and serve their nations as we saw in 2024 with the U.S. National Guard’s Lakota supporting disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Helene and the H135 and NH90 in the flooding in Valencia, Spain. We continue to innovate and expand the mission capabilities that we offer – we integrated Flexrotor into our UAS portfolio, we demonstrated crewed – uncrewed teaming capabilities with the VSR700 and an H130, and we are laying the groundwork for the European Next Generation Rotorcraft through dedicated concept studies,” continued Even.
In 2024, the first flight of the Racer hybrid helicopter demonstrator took place, exceeding its target speed of 407 km/h in just seven flights, along with the maiden flight of the CityAirbus NextGen electric eVTOL in Donauwörth. In the civil and parapublic market, the H175 helicopter program completed in-flight de-icing system tests in Canada and Norway ahead of certification later this year. Meanwhile, the H160 program continued its gradual introduction into service worldwide, with more than 30 helicopters currently in operation.
“Supporting our customers is essential and our global footprint is a key element to achieving that. We celebrated several milestones in 2024 that attest to that – firstly the 40 years of our facility in Fort Erie, Canada. This proximity will be important for our landmark contract for the 19 H135s that will be delivered to our first Canadian defence customer. Secondly, we marked fifty years of presence in the UK and inaugurated a brand new facility in Oxford. We will continue to grow our international footprint with the addition of an H125 final assembly line in India in partnership with TATA,” Even continued.
The company also increased the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to nearly 20% during its own test and training flights in Marignane, Albacete, and Donauwörth, as well as expanded SAF usage at its Oxford facility in the UK.
Airbus’s financial results for the full year 2024 will be announced on February 20 of this year.
https://twitter.com/AirbusHeli/status/1883921632911364554