Consultancy Aero Asset is reporting that retail sales of used turbine single-engine helicopters in the first half of this year were down 60 percent and supply was 70 percent higher versus the first six months of 2022. During the first half, 58 helicopters valued at $132 million were sold out of 108 units for sale, the latter representing an 8.5-month supply at the current absorption rate.
However, upward pricing pressure is continuing, driven by the arrival of low-time helicopters onto the market combined with increasing OEM lead time for new deliveries. Prices jumped 11 percent year-over-year while OEM lead time surged by 23 percent.
According to Aero Asset, the most liquid models included the Bell 407/GX/P/I followed by the Airbus AS350B3/B3e/H125 and EC130B4/H130. The least-liquid preowned market during the first half was the Leonardo AW119K/Ke/Kx, with an absorption rate of 14 months. North American transactions accounted for two-thirds of all sales while those in Europe dropped 75 percent year-over-year. Europe and North America accounted for two-thirds of the worldwide supply for sale.