Commercial Helicopters Global Market Opportunities and Strategies to 2032

This report describes and explains the commercial helicopters market and covers 2017-2022, termed the historic period, and 2022-2027 termed the forecast period, along with further forecasts for the period 2027-2032. The report evaluates the market across each region and for the major economies within each region.

The global commercial helicopters market reached a value of nearly $28,286.1 million in 2022, having decreased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -3.0% since 2017. The market is expected to grow from $28,286.1 million in 2022 to $39,057.7 million in 2027 at a rate of 6.7%. The market is then expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.9% from 2027 and reach $47,282.7 million in 2032.

Growth in the historic period resulted from increased use of helicopters in search and rescue (SAR), growing demand for air ambulance services, government support and rising number of tourist destinations. Factors that negatively affected growth in the historic period were COVID-19 impact, high airline maintenance costs and the rise in the number of fatal accidents.

Going forward, rising demand for air taxi, rise in air transportation, increasing commercial aircraft orders, growth in offshore oil and gas industry and growing urbanization will drive the market. Factors that could hinder the growth of the commercial helicopters market in the future include the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, delivery backlogs and stringent regulatory norms for helicopter manufacturing.

The commercial helicopters market is segmented by type into light weight commercial helicopters, medium weight commercial helicopters and heavy weight commercial helicopters. The medium weight commercial helicopters market was the largest segment of the commercial helicopters market by type, accounting for $14,681.2 million or 51.9% of the total market in 2022. The heavy weight commercial helicopters market is expected to be the fastest-growing segment going forward at a CAGR of 6.8%.

The commercial helicopters market is segmented by number of engines into single-engine and multi-engine. The multi-engine market was the largest segment of the commercial helicopters market by number of engines, accounting for $17,799.3 million or 62.9% of the total market in 2022. It is expected to be the fastest-growing segment going forward at a CAGR of 6.8%.

The commercial helicopters market is segmented by application into oil and gas, transport, medical services, law enforcement and public safety and other applications. The transport market was the largest segment of the commercial helicopters market by applications, accounting for $9,299.0 million or 32.9% of the total market in 2022. The law enforcement and public safety market is expected to be the fastest-growing segment going forward at a CAGR of 7.0%.

North America was the largest region in the commercial helicopters market, accounting for 34.4% of the global market in 2022. It was followed by Asia Pacific, Western Europe and the other regions. Going forward, the fastest growing regions in the commercial helicopters market will be Asia Pacific and the North America, where growth will be at CAGRs of 8.9% and 6.4% respectively from 2022-2027.

The global commercial helicopters market is concentrated, with a few large players. The top ten competitors in the market made up to 47.25% of the total market in 2021. Airbus SE was the largest competitor with 14.33% share of the market, followed by Leonardo SpA with 7.75%, Russian Helicopters with 7.68%, Textron with 6.27%, Lockheed Martin Corporation with 5.01%, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd with 2.95%, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) with 1.73%, Robinson Helicopter Company with 1.11%, MD Helicopters, Inc with 0.21%, and Kaman Corporation with 0.21%.

The top opportunities in the commercial helicopters market by type will arise in the medium weight commercial helicopters market, which will gain $5,652.8 million of global annual sales by 2027. The top opportunities in the commercial helicopters market by number of engines will arise in the multi-engine market, which will gain $6,902.8 million of global annual sales by 2027. The top opportunities in the commercial helicopters market by application will arise in the transport market, which will gain $3,304.0 million of global annual sales by 2027. The commercial helicopters market size will gain the most in the USA at $2,626.9 million.

Market-trend-based strategies for the commercial helicopters market include development of drone taxis, development of UAV commercial helicopters, use of artificial intelligence technology, product innovations, use of internet of things (IoT), development of hybrid-electric demonstrator for commercial missions, strategic partnerships and collaborations and development of flying laboratories to test next generation of innovations.

Player-adopted strategies in the commercial helicopters industry include strengthening operational capabilities through gaining new contracts, enhancing business operations through strategic collaborations and partnerships and enhancing operational capabilities through the launch of new products.

To take advantage of the opportunities, the publisher recommends the commercial helicopters companies to focus on product innovations, focus on use of artificial intelligence technology, focus on drone taxis, expand in emerging markets, continue to focus on developed markets, focus on partnerships and collaborations, provide competitively priced offerings, participate in trade shows and events, continue to use B2B promotions, continue to target fast-growing application areas, increase focus on governments, and focus on the urban population.