Orders Surge, Revenues Up in Q1 at Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters’ revenues improved by 10%, to €1.6 billion ($1.816 billion), in the first quarter, boosted in part by a slight increase in deliveries to 51 aircraft, as well as growth in the services side of the business, parent company Airbus announced yesterday. Deliveries in the first three months of the year were up one unit from 50 helicopters in first-quarter 2024.

At the same time, rotorcraft orders dramatically jumped by 58.7% in the first quarter to 100, compared with 63 from the same period a year ago. This included the first orders for Airbus Helicopters’ multi-mission H140 that was announced at Verticon in early March. As a result, backlog grew to €942 million by the end of the quarter, up 15.3% from €817 million a year ago. 

Meanwhile, earnings before interest and taxes improved commensurately with revenues, up almost 10%, to €78 million, compared with €71 million a year earlier. This was aided by a slight dip in research and development expenses from €71 million in the first quarter of 2024 to €66 million in the most recent quarter.