This article is extracted from the most recent edition of The Civil Helicopter Fleet Report.
To read or download the full report, please click here.
Offshore oil and gas support has traditionally been considered as the most important mission in the civil helicopter industry. Longterm contracts with leading oil companies using mainly larger, high capacity and high value helicopters make this a very competitive sector among OEMs, lessors, financiers and operators.
There were 288 Offshore support helicopters in operation in the AsiaPacific region at the end of 2024, which was 21.0% of the global fleet. This was a 15.5% reduction compared to the end of 2014, when the total fleet comprised 341 helicopters. The Baker Hughes yearly rig count shows that there were 100 active Offshore oil rigs in Asia-Pacific at the end of 2024, more than any other region. This represents a 13.8% decrease over the number of active rigs in 2014, and is consistent with the change in fleet size. The active Offshore rig count in Asia-Pacific reached a low of just 70 in 2021, but has since increased by almost 43.0%.
Mainland China had the largest Offshore support fleet at the end of 2024 with 68 helicopters in operation, with the fleet size has remaining fairly consistent over the past three years. Mainland China also had the highest number of active Offshore oil rigs in Asia-Pacific with a total of 48. Australia had a based fleet of 67 while India’s based Offshore fleet comprised 59 helicopters. India also had the second highest number of active Offshore oil rigs in Asia-Pacific, and was also the only country in Asia-Pacific to record a net increase in Offshore fleet size between 2014 and 2024, with an additional 14 helicopters.
Airbus was the leading OEM in Asia-Pacific’s Offshore market with a 34.7% fleet share (100 helicopters), ranging from Medium Twins such as the AS365 and EC155/H155, through the Super Medium H175 to the Heavy EC225/H225. Leonardo had a fleet of 83, led by its popular AW139 Medium Twin with 63 in operation at the end of 2024, and was the most popular model in the Asia-Pacific Offshore support sector. Sikorsky’s fleet share was 28.1% with a fleet of 81, which comprised 44 Heavy S-92s and 37 S-76 Medium Twins.
China’s COHC had the largest Asia-Pacific based Offshore fleet with 38 helicopters, and was also the overall largest civil turbine helicopter operator in the region. PHI Australia and Global Vectra of India each had 22 Offshore helicopters at the end of 2024. Other major operators in the region included Pawan Hans of India (20 helicopters), China Southern GA (19) and Weststar of Malaysia (19).
Demand for Offshore helicopters is highly influenced by oil price, as well as operators’ continued efforts to maximize efficiency in their operations. In the longer term, there will be an increased focus on alternative energy sources, which could further reduce the use of traditional oil rigs and related helicopter operations. However, Offshore helicopter support is expected to remain a crucial element in the energy sector in the next few decades. A growth in the use of Offshore windfarms would require additional helicopter capacity in the Light Medium Twins and Super Medium categories, to be deployed during construction, for crew and equipment transfer, as well as maintenance. New windfarm projects are set to commence operations in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia during the late 2020s and into the 2030s.
While the Offshore fleet in Asia-Pacific is not expected to see a significant increase in the next 10 years, the focus will shift to replacement of ageing helicopters currently in operation. The drive for more efficient operations means new generation helicopters with lower operating costs and improved performance will be well positioned to replace outgoing types. The Super Medium helicopters, including the Leonardo AW189 and Airbus H175, were primarily aimed at the Offshore market, entered service at a time when demand was low and lower cost options were available. This meant that these new generation types have yet to build up a significant presence in Offshore operations. Heavy and Medium Twin types such as the Leonardo AW139, Sikorsky S-92 and Airbus H225 remain the dominant types, supported by older types including the Airbus AS365, AS332 and Sikorsky S-76.
Some 65% of the Asia-Pacific based Offshore fleet is 10 years or older, with 16.0% being 20 years or older. The need for replacements will be increasing in the next 10 – 15 years, starting with the oldest, out-of-production types such as the AS365, EC155 and S-76. Heavy types including the H225 and S-92 would also require replacements, due to both ageing and the expected switch from Heavy types to more efficient Super Mediums and Medium Twins.
India had one of the oldest Offshore support fleets in the region, with 25 helicopters aged 15 years or older at the end of 2024, followed by Australia with 22 and China with 14. There were 124 Offshore helicopters based in Asia-Pacific which were 15 years or older at the end of 2024, with an estimated replacement value of over USD 2 billion. Considering helicopters 10 years or older, the replacement value could exceed USD 4.30 billion. The replacement process is expected to be fairly gradual, often to coincide with renewal of operators’ contracts, many of which could place age limits on the helicopters under contract.
New generation Medium Twins and Super Mediums are expected to fulfil the majority of replacement demand, led by the Airbus H160, H175 and Leonardo AW189. The proven AW139 is the most popular type amongst Asia-Pacific operators and is expected to remain in that position, with new deliveries continuing into the 2030s. Certification of the new Bell 525 Super Medium is expected during 2025, and initial Offshore operations to commence soon after. The Bell 525 is the largest among the new offerings, and could potentially replace outgoing Heavy S-92s and H225s. S-92 operators will be looking towards replacements, as older examples reach their lifespan of 30,000 hours. The Super Mediums could perform the vast majority of S-92/H225 missions, and the focus on efficiency and lower costs mean
This article is extracted from the most recent edition of The Civil Helicopter Fleet Report.
To read or download the full report, please click here.