Airbus Helicopters had a successful year in 2022, logging 374 gross orders (net: 362) and an impressive 216 light single-engine helicopters sold. The company’s deliveries also increased from 338 in 2021 to 344 in 2022, contributing to Airbus Helicopters’ preliminary 52% share of the civil and para-public market.
“2022 was a year in which Airbus Helicopters solidified its recovery, in a context of instability with the war in Ukraine and a fragile supply chain. Our orders came from 203 customers in 48 countries, underlining the importance of our global network as well as showing that in uncertain times, the role of helicopters is more essential than ever,” according to Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO.
The company made significant strides in innovation and new ground was broken with important first deliveries. The first ACH160 was delivered to a Brazilian customer, transported by an Airbus Beluga, in July 2022. Shortly after, All Nippon Helicopter’s H160 entered into service in Japan and the French Navy took delivery of the first H160 for SAR operations. In October, the company delivered the first H135s to the Spanish Ministry of Interior following the major order just ten months prior.
Airbus Helicopters also continued to make progress on its decarbonization roadmap, which is based on a threefold approach using SAF, hybridization, and electrification. The company unveiled its DisruptiveLab demonstrator at the Airbus Summit which demonstrates the capability to reduce CO2 emissions by 50%. The company also signed significant support and services contracts for both the civil and military ranges.
In the military market, Airbus Helicopters furthered the development of its own unmanned aerial system (UAS), the VSR700, which began trialing autonomous take-off and landing capabilities at sea. In June 2022, Airbus Helicopters was named coordinator of the “EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project” (ENGRT) which is a Research and Technology project funded by the European Defence Fund, paving the way for the next generation of military rotorcraft in Europe.
The 2022 full-year financial results will be disclosed on February 16, 2023.