China GA Report EN

ROTARY-WING MARKET
TURBINE HELICOPTER MARKET
Turbine Helicopter by Size Category
Light Twin 39 (8%) Single 297 (57%)
Heavy 52 (10%)
Medium 131 (25%)
57+25+10+8+G
519
Reflective of the turbine-helicopter multi-mission segment is
the use of Airbus’ H125, which is the most popular turbinetype
in China. There are 89 H125s in the country, representing
17% of the total fleet. Airbus’s H135, H155 and H120 are also
popular models. Bell has the second largest market share,
with the Bell 407 and Bell 206 representing 10% and 7% of
the total fleet. Chinese OEM AVIC also has a stake in the
market, with a 7% share, which includes the AC311, AC312,
H410, H425, Z11 and Z9.
Operating the fleet of 519 turbine helicopters are
approximately 105 operators — 61 of which have only one
or two helicopters on their inventory while the remaining
operators account for 68% of the fleet.
Turbine Helicopter by Mission
Others 14 (3%)
Training 13 (3%)
Charter/Commuter 14 (3%)
SAR 23 (5%)
Powerline 28 (5%)
EMS 29 (6%)
Agriculture 43 (9%)
Sightseeing/Air Tour
47 (9%)
Law Enforcement 54 (11%)
The total number of turbine helicopters in China stands at
519 as of mid-2017. Airbus Helicopters continues to have
the largest market share in China at 38%, with 197 aircraft.
The French manufacturer’s helicopters in China have surpassed the
number in United States, becoming the largest market for the OEM,
in terms of annual booking. Bell Helicopter holds 21% of the market,
followed by Leonardo, with 10%.
37+12+10+9+8+6+5+4+3+3+3+G
519
Turbine-helicopters in China are used for varying mission segments,
with 37% of the fleet used for multi-mission segments, followed
by offshore, law enforcement, sightseeing, agriculture and EMS.
Included in the multi-mission segment are helicopters used for
forestry protection operations, including firefighting, which are
used throughout the year. Powerline patrol and agriculture spraying
operations are also increasingly popular and much-needed mission
types, within the multi-mission segment.
Multi-Mission 190 (37%)
Offshore 64 (12%)
China’s Citic Offshore Helicopter Company (COHC) is the
largest operator in China. The company is heavily involved
in offshore oil operations and pilot services for ships at port,
with 34 helicopters assigned to offshore missions. Models
include AS332L/L1, EC155B/B1, EC225LP and S-92A. COHC
GA, a subsidiary of COHC, specializes in powerline patrol and
various multi-mission segments. Their models include the
H425, KA-32, AS350B3 and Z11. CHOC has a total number of
68 turbine helicopters.
State Grid and Shanghai Kingwing GA are the second largest
non-state operators. State Grid’s helicopters are used for
powerline missions, including the Bell 206, Bell 429, Bell
407 and AS350B3. Other operators include China Southern,
Reignwood and Flying Dragon with focuses on offshore,
charter, agriculture and flight training.
While the fleet of 519 turbine helicopters are spread out
throughout the country, small clusters are situated along
the eastern coast — from North to South. In the Western
part of China there are 91 helicopters, leaving the Eastern
countryside with remaining 82%. Large demand alongside
the coast can be seen in areas surrounding Bohai Bay, which
is home to one of the country’s largest oil and gas production
bases, as well as the government-owned China National
Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
Southern China accounts for more than 60% of the total
helicopter fleet, thanks to provinces with large fleets such
as the manufacturing hub of Guangdong (116), as well as
Shanghai (49). Guangdong continues to be the province
with the highest number of helicopters. Nearly 90% of the
helicopters in China allocated for offshore missions are in
Guangdong, accounting for nearly half of the fleet in this
province. The remaining helicopters are assigned to multimission
use, law enforcement and SAR.
38 | CHINA GA REPORT 2017