Rotortrade is projecting that the helicopter market in Latin America will see a 20% market expansion this year, according to the company's newly-released 2024-2025 Latin America Helicopter Market Report.
“Latin America is undergoing a helicopter transformation, driven by offshore growth, parapublic needs, and strategic reinvention,” according to Rotortrade. “Its oilfield activity is fueled by Brazil’s offshore energy bonanza, while Mexican private and public markets have stood the test of time. Yet other actors are slowly gaining traction. Recovery in helicopter demand is being led by increased mining, firefighting, and emergency operations, coupled with evolving government policies.”
Most helicopters in Latin America are single-engine models, totaling 1,412 aircraft. Robinson Helicopter has the greatest share at 30.4%, followed by Bell at 26.9% and Airbus at 25.6%. Twins account for another 235 helicopters, with Airbus at the forefront with 116 helicopters, Bell 112, and Leonardo 62.
Rotortrade sees opportunities to fulfill operators’ needs as various issues hamper delivery of new helicopters. Hurdles such as floating currencies, limited access to capital, import duties, customs restrictions, supply chain, and long lead times for new aircraft make preowned helicopters more attractive. “This environment is creating space for solution providers with a pool of recent preowned aircraft and the capability to quickly transition them to meet specific mission requirements,” said Rotortrade LATAM region head Raymond Lubrano.