Top US and European helicopter executives said this week that the oil price-led commercial helicopter market slump would be temporary and that they will keep investing in new technologies given the sector's positive long-term outlook. The downturn will likely last 18 to 24 months, Sikorsky Aircraft's new president, Robert Leduc, said at Paris Airshow, adding that he fully expected demand to rebound at some point.
United Technologies Corp's announcement this week that it would sell or spin off Sikorsky was not a sign of enduring overcapacity in the market but rather a strategic move to focus on its supplier role, Leduc and other helicopter executives added.
The optimism about a recovery was reflected in comments by the head of Textron Inc, who said the company was not interested in selling Bell Helicopter.
"We love our helicopter business," Scott Donnelly said. "It's a profitable business, it's a great technology business, we're investing a lot. It's always going to go through cycles like every business in the world."
Airbus Helicopters used the Paris show to launch a new heavy helicopter for civil customers. Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said the oil price slump had caused some delivery deferrals but had also prompted customers to seek more efficient models for future demand.
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