Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) enjoyed another good year in 2023, with market volumes “almost back to where we were in 2019,” according to ACH head Frédéric Lemos. He also remarked that the market forecast for 2024 looked similarly stable, with a global requirement for around 200 helicopters. Moreover, he said, that market stability looked set to remain for some years ahead.
Gross orders for ACH products reached a value of €575 million ($623 million) across 74 sales, comprising 16 ACH125s, 19 ACH130s, four ACH135s, 22 ACH145s, nine ACH160s, and four ACH175s. Deliveries in the year amounted to 84 helicopters.
ACH remains the market leader in most segments in Europe, where its ACH145 has outsold the competition for five consecutive years. The ACH160 also leads the medium helicopter market. With ACH’s portfolio aimed primarily at the middle/upper sectors of the corporate market, the value of sales is much stronger than at the lighter end of the marketplace, with a corresponding positive effect on ACH’s market share when measured by value as opposed to helicopter numbers.
While the ACH145 continues to prove popular, with the premium Mercedes-Benz cabin model due to receive a facelift next year, it is the ACH160 that is “the star of the show for us this year,” said Lemos. The first deliveries were made in 2022 and 10 are now in customer hands. The fleet has surpassed 1,500 flight hours, with the fleet leader having achieved 500.
On show in Geneva at EBACE 2024 is the first of five ACH160s for Italian operator Air Corporate, which announced an order for 43 Airbus helicopters at the 2023 edition of the show. A further two ACH145s have subsequently been added to that order.
The ACH160 on display is in the Line in Lounge configuration, which is the intermediate level interior that falls between the baseline Line and the luxury Exclusive. The Lounge package offers an increase in interior luxury but without the airframe modifications associated with the Exclusive. This, in turn, allows the helicopter to be repurposed for different missions, something that is not realistic for the Exclusive model. It therefore strikes a good balance between cabin luxury and resale value.
Also being shown at EBACE is an ACH175 outfitted in a 12-passenger Exclusive configuration.