BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Helicopter is a unique aerial vehicle in the aviation industry with unequal agile flight ability. A burgeoning China market is helping to drive an agile transformation in U.S. helicopter manufacturer Bell, says a senior company executive.
"Bell is flying beyond a helicopter manufacturer to a tech-company, and the Chinese market is of great significance to our transformation and global presence,"said Patrick Moulay, senior vice president of Bell.
"China is the world's most promising market, very unique and very dynamic. And we are committed to support its growth."
In a complicated global economic environment, China's aviation market keeps growing. "No other country shows such a trend. Its needs in helicopters and heli-services keep surging," Moulay said.
Bell is a global leader in vertical-lift aircraft, including tilt rotors and helicopters. In more than eight decades, it has sold around 35,000 aircraft worldwide.
China is Bell's second largest market in the Asia-Pacific region after Australia.
As of May 2019, more than 160 Bell helicopters were flying in China, taking around 30 percent of the general aviation market.
China's helicopter market has seen continuous two-digit growth in the past few years with around 14 percent year-on-year in 2018.
This is against turbulence in the global market, especially in the offshore oil and gas field.
"The Chinese market is stable. The need is here, and we see incredible growth here," Moulay said. Compared with the market volume of 10,000 turboshaft-engine helicopters in the United States, the existing fleet of under 700 in China "is far away from its needs".
He expects China's commercial helicopter market to double in five years with major growth from emergency medical services, law enforcement, utility, tourism and corporate segments.
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