One of the biggest stories from HAI
HELI-EXPO 2024 in
Anaheim, California, was the news that
the show’s producer, Helicopter Association
International, was
adopting a new name and identity, Vertical
Aviation International (VAI). Here, Board
Chair Nicole Battjes, flanked by the
association’s Board of Directors, makes the announcement at
the Monday Welcome Reception and Rebrand Reveal.
“In terms of North America bookings, when you include
all the different OEMs, the market is down 15% or more, which came as a surprise after two years of growth,” Reijnen said. “Tat’s why I call it a transition. It’s also a transition in the sense that [Airbus has] invested a lot in new heli- copters. [In] 2024, we’ll see deliveries of those aircraft and their entry into service.” Reijnen suggests the dip is a result of the VUCA (volatility,
uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world we live in today. Everything from the air ambulance market’s uncer- tainty surrounding the No Surprises Act to an overall industry-wide difficulty acquiring insurance and meeting higher insurance premiums to dealing with labor shortages adds to the complexity for the entire vertical aviation community. Te primary challenge across the industry, however,
remains supply-chain issues. Whether raw materials or manufactured components, engines, and parts, reduced supply and skyrocketing demand continued to increase costs and competition. “Nobody wants to hear COVID as an excuse, but we’re
still feeling the impact of the pandemic, coupled with the fact that small- and medium-sized suppliers aren’t buying a ton of material,” explained Eric Schreiber, international business development director for Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. “[Suppliers] are first going to liquidate
36 ROTOR JUNE 2024
their current stock, which then causes lead times across the entire supply chain to elongate, which in turn creates much longer lead times on high-demand raw materials.” Now a full year out of bankruptcy, MD Helicopters is
continuing to see significant increases in lead times from suppliers, pushing the recovering OEM’s timeline out another 6 to 12 months before it’s reached its targeted levels of parts supply available to ship within 24 hours. Te com- pany has made progress in the past year, with 80% of its targeted parts in stock. Like many others, the company is adding more suppliers. “We’re working our way down the supply chain, with
each step [requiring] people and face-to-face meetings,” said MD Helicopters President and CEO Brad Pedersen. “We’re sharing production and aftermarket plans and signing LTAs [long-term agreements] to help suppliers prepare to support our needs.” Engine manufacturers lamented similar constraints, with
Rolls-Royce, Safran, GE, and Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) all facing long lead times for both raw materials and precision parts made from those materials as demand for engines and engine support increases. “Demand is huge right now, with utilization increasing,
especially with replacement aircraft for grounded Russian helicopters, as well as older helicopters needing parts and replacement,” said Nicolas Chabée, VP of helicopter engine
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