BW Legal World: What Ails the Civil Helicopter Industry?

BW Legal World: What Ails the Civil Helicopter Industry?

BW Legal World, Dhananjay Suri, 16 March 2021

(Image courtesy of BW Legal World)

Even as India is projected to be the 3rd largest economy by 2030 its race to emerge as the 5th largest economy in the world has seen a setback on account of the ongoing pandemic. Infrastructure and connectivity have been important elements of the growth of the economy. The civil aviation industry has boomed, and Indian has emerged as the 3rd largest domestic market and the fastest growing market in terms of domestic tickets sold for its airline industry. However, an important component of the civil aviation industry, the helicopter industry does not seem to have participated in the growth.  

The origin of the Indian civil helicopter industry can be dated all the way back to the year 1953 when the first civil helicopter had flown. India currently has less than 1% of the global fleet of civilian helicopters. From its peak in 2013, the fleet has steadily declined to merely 245 registered helicopters in 2019. A very telling nugget of information is that Sao Paulo the largest city in Brazil has more than 400 helicopters in operation. Our helicopter industry has been stunted.  

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