Aero Asset: Twin-Engine Helicopter Retail Sales Rose 8% in First Half of 2026 as Inventory Hit Five-Year Low

Helicopter market intelligence firm Aero Asset has published its 2026 Half Year Twin-Engine Edition, reporting that retail sales in the twin-engine helicopter segment rose 8% year over year in the first half of 2026, while available inventory fell 33% to its lowest level in five years.

Overall median transaction prices increased 6% year over year, with twin-engine pricing reaching its highest point since late 2023. Heavy twin median transaction prices hit a five-year high, while light and medium segment results were mixed. The medium and heavy twin markets recorded stronger sales activity during the period, while light-twin sales softened. Inventory declined across all three classes, with available light and medium twins each dropping to five-year lows.

North America accounted for 46% of all transactions, remaining the largest sales market in the first half of 2026. Europe posted the strongest regional growth, with retail sales rising 75% compared to the first half of 2025.

Valérie Pereira, vice-president of market research at the Toronto-based company, said, "While transaction activity increased during the first half of the year, the most significant development was the continued contraction in supply for sale. Supply reached a five-year low while pricing continues to strengthen, creating a favorable environment for sellers."

The combination of rising sales and falling inventory is a classic tightening pattern in used-equipment markets: as available units for sale shrink faster than demand does, sellers gain leverage and prices firm up, which is exactly what the five-year-high heavy twin pricing and the broader 6% median price gain reflect here.

In the twin-engine helicopter resale market, buyers typically compete over a limited pool of well-maintained aircraft that come to market at any given time, so a 33% drop in available inventory has an outsized effect on pricing even when sales volume growth is comparatively modest. The divergence between segments matters too: heavy and medium twins saw stronger sales alongside inventory at five-year lows, while light twins saw softer sales, suggesting the tightening is not uniform across aircraft classes. Europe's 75% jump in retail sales, against North America's continued 46% share of transactions, points to demand pressure building unevenly by region as well.

What happens next depends on whether more owners bring twin-engine aircraft to market in response to strengthening prices, or whether supply stays constrained through the second half of the year. Aero Asset's next half-year edition will show whether the five-year-low inventory levels persist or begin to ease as sellers respond to the favorable pricing environment Pereira described.