Helicopter conference in London

Following directly on from the  Corporate Jet Investor  conference last week (9-10 February) at London’s Royal Garden Hotel, the helicopter industry held their own gathering (11-12 February) at the same venue. 

Two topics focused interest.  Fuel and safety.

Kim Seward of IBA (International Bureau of Aviation) commented “The sector as a whole is waiting with slightly baited breath to see how the oil price is going to impact the civil helicopter industry.  The likely reality is that there is going to be some decrease in demand and, even though the rose tinted view on the market will go, we forecast that demand will plateau or only drop slightly.  As a result of this, financial players in the helicopter arena might be wise to hold off on bold business decisions until the world energy demand and markets stabilise.”

When it comes to the future of the civilian helicopter industry, safety is very much the primary focus.  His colleague Usman Ahmed advises “Despite making huge modifications to North Sea operations, the UK CAA is confident that there are still changes to be made.  But ultimately there is only a certain amount of human error that can be removed while there is still a human in the loop.  At what point do automated systems become the norm?” www.ibagroup.com  http://london-2015.helicopterinvestor.com

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