Aero Asset's Q3 2021 Heli Market Trends has reported a decrease in the supply of preowned twin-engine helicopters and a stable retail transaction volume year on year.

So far in 2021, 98 preowned twin-engine helicopters have been sold to retail buyers on and off market, totalling $263 million. This dollar sales volume was down 26% year on year, this is due to a decrease in heavy retail sales activity over same period.

The VIP configured twin helicopter sales volume rose eight percent and was the best performing market segment year to date. North America was the best performing region year to date, accounting for a third of all retail transactions.

The best performing preowned twin-engine helicopter market year to date is the Airbus EC/H145, followed by the Leonardo AW109S/SP and the Sikorsky S76C+/C++.

Year to date light twin-engine retail sales volume increased five percent versus the same period in 2020, while medium twin retail sales were up 43%. Heavy retail sales declined substantially over the same period.

The number of worldwide helicopter flights experienced a sharp rebound in Q1 2021 and year to date. North America saw 256,126 helicopter flights in Q3 2021, a 36% increase year on year. Europe saw 192,976 helicopter flights in Q3, a 23% increase year on year. South America saw the biggest increase in helicopter flights in Q3 2021 reaching 22,048 flights, a 155% increase year on year.

“Year to date retail sales were stable compared to the same period in 2020,” says Aero Asset vice president of market research Valerie Pereira. “In the last quarter, many aircraft for sale were removed from market and returned to service, translating into a 24% reduction of supply for sale year over year to 196 units at the end of Q3.”

For the first time, Heli Market Trends has published worldwide flight data, tracking helicopters equipped with ADS-B transponders. The report also publishes market data of twin-engine preowned helicopter models in production and variants with recent preowned sales activity.