Rotortrade Report Flags Strong Demand, Tight Supply

Strong mission-driven demand for helicopters across the U.S. and Canada continues to outpace limited aircraft availability, according to Rotortrade’s 2025 North America Helicopter Market Report.

The report characterizes North America as “the world’s largest and most mission-intensive helicopter market,” driven primarily by EMS, utility, firefighting, and public-service operations, and concludes that the region will remain strong into 2026. However, growth will depend less on demand and more on access to suitable, mission-ready aircraft and the ability to deliver them quickly as OEM backlogs extend 2 to 3 years.

Citing JetNet data, the report notes that the North American market fleet stood at 2,260 rotorcraft (as of 2024), with twin engines accounting for 999 of them. Bell is the fleet leader, accounting for 45%, with Airbus Helicopters following at 33.9%.

Meanwhile, global helicopter sales remain below their 2014 peak with activity shifting toward services, life cycle support, and preowned aircraft as operators contend with long OEM delivery timelines.

According to the report, “global helicopter sales remain structurally subdued,” but services and preowned market activity “have strengthened considerably.” The report ties the shift to services and preowned activity to higher utilization rates and stronger aftermarket demand. In North America, OEM delivery backlogs of 2 to 3 years are nudging operators toward used aircraft, while owners are holding assets longer, tightening supply.

“Inventory scarcity has become the defining constraint,” the report states, predicting that this will continue through 2026.

Buyer behavior is increasingly shaped by mission readiness and bid requirements, particularly in EMS and public-service tenders that require operators to control aircraft at bid time. As a result, the report says turnkey solutions covering importation, reassembly, modification, and certification are gaining importance.