Airbus Helicopters has been suffering from slow sales that are negatively affecting its suppliers, according to French aerospace industry group GIFAS. In response to reporters' questions at the group’s annual “state of the industry” press conference on April 9, GIFAS president Marwan Lahoud, who is also chief strategy and marketing officer for the Airbus Group, said that for the past three years the European rotorcraft maker has faced difficult marketing conditions. He highlighted declining demand for private/corporate helicopters, adding that when this sector began to recover somewhat the industry was faced with the fall-out from reduced energy industry activity, sparked by depressed oil prices.
As a consequence, the book-to-bill ratio for Airbus Helicopters, which is based in France and Germany, has been smaller than 1:1, said Lahoud. The result for suppliers working for Airbus and other manufacturers was a 20-percent cut in output for 2014, compared with 2013, according to Emmanuel Viellard, head of the GIFAS equipment manufacturers division.
Since late 2014, the rotorcraft industry has seen improved prospects for military helicopter sales and some recovery in civil activity, said Lahoud. Earlier this year, Airbus reported that in 2014 it delivered 471 aircraft and received 402 orders—both representing 5-percent drops compared with 2013.