Engine OEM overview – Civil Helicopters YE 2021

Asia-Pacific was home to 4,458 civil turbine helicopters, which were powered by a total of 6,561 turbo-shaft engines at the end of 2021. The most popular engine OEM in the region remained Safran, accounting for 2,270 engines (35% of the total). Pratt & Whitney, alongside Rolls-Royce, came second, with 1,882 engines (29%) and 1,550 (24&) engines, respectively. Safran beat Pratt & Whitney as the OEM that experienced the biggest net growth in APAC during 2021, with the number of its engines increasing by 32 (making growth of around 1.4% since the end of 2020.)

2021 also saw Safran power 1,677 of the total 4,458 helicopters. Additionally, 48% and 28% of helicopters using Safran engines belonged to the single and medium categories, respectively.

Rolls-Royce had the most engines in the single size category with 1,170 engines. Pratt & Whitney engines were the most popular in the light twin and medium categories, with 764 and 1,064 engines, respectively.

The most popular turbo-shaft engine model in APAC was Safran’s Arriel family, with 1,219 helicopters using 1,613 engines. Rolls-Royce’s Allison 250 came second, with 1,237 helicopters using 1,427 engines. Pratt & Whitney’s most popular engine family in the region remains the PT6, with 512 helicopters using 998 engines.

Overall, the helicopter engine market grew by 1.3% in 2021, which was lower than its 1.8% growth in 2020. This was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the demand for helicopter travel decrease. Growth in the engine market has now slowed down for three consecutive years. Fortunately, the market is expected to boom in 2022, as the world recovers from the pandemic and more people get vaccinated, with helicopter operations projected to revert to pre-COVID levels.