The helicopter market is growing in Latin America

In 2024, the Latin America and Caribbean region, including Mexico, saw significant activity in the incorporation of aircraft for population support tasks. Among the most notable developments was the arrival of H145 helicopters in Honduras and, in early 2025, the delivery of H225 units to the Ecuadorian Armed Forces, reported Guillaume Leprince, CEO of Airbus Helicopters Mexico.

In an interview with A21, the executive described 2024 as a “successful” year globally for the Airbus helicopter division, as it continues to lead the way in the delivery of these aircraft worldwide.

“We saw the same trend in Latin America: a very positive dynamic in 2024, and we have also seen an increase in fleets in the region. We now have more than 420 helicopters flying in the area, 140 of them in Mexico,” he said.

Leprince commented that all these aircraft have different operational needs, and that 2024 was a key year in which Airbus provided support through the “Flight Hour” program, which he explained consists of the rapid delivery of spare parts for helicopters, in order to repair them in the shortest possible time.

He specified that the program has been in operation in Mexico for several years, for both government and private customers, and highlighted that in countries such as Ecuador, “it is a very flexible rental option for these government customers.”

This program allows us to take responsibility for delivering the parts, providing support and technical assistance to the customer, and, if they wish, we can perform helicopter maintenance services for the cost of the flight alone.

“It has its rate, they know how much it will cost for the whole year, it is easier to plan, because we know that governments have budgetary constraints and that helps customers a lot and allows for the availability of aircraft to carry out their missions,” he said.