Pre-owned twin-engine helicopter values rise 6% as supply hits five-year low, Aero Asset report finds

Aero Asset has released its 2026 Half Year Heli Market Trends Twin-Engine edition, covering the global pre-owned twin-engine helicopter market for the first half of 2026. Retail sales increased 8% compared with the same period in 2025, while supply of aircraft available for sale fell 33% to a five-year low. The absorption rate — the time required to exhaust current available inventory — dropped from 18 months a year ago to 11 months.

Valérie Pereira, Vice President of Market Research at Aero Asset, 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 improvement in absorption rate reflects a balanced market." Average transaction values rose 6% compared with 2025, with demand for heavy twins pushing average prices to a five-year high, while results for light and medium aircraft were more mixed.

In terms of market liquidity, the strongest performers were the EC/H135 and EC/H145, followed by the AW109S/SP, Bell 429, and S-76C+/C++, while the EC155B1/H155 and S-76D were identified as the weakest performers. Geographically, North America remained the largest market in the first half of 2026, accounting for 46% of global transactions, Europe recorded the strongest growth in retail sales, up 75% year-on-year, and Europe also held the largest concentration of available supply.

This pattern — rising sales activity meeting shrinking inventory — is the classic setup for a seller's market, and the compression in absorption rate from 18 months to 11 months is the clearest single signal of that shift. In pre-owned helicopter trading, absorption rate functions as the market's pressure gauge: a falling number means buyers are working through available aircraft faster than sellers are listing them, which is exactly what supports the 6% rise in transaction values even as sales volume itself grew.

The segment detail matters here too. Heavy twins reaching a five-year average price high while light and medium results stay mixed shows that this tightening is not uniform across the twin-engine category — it is concentrated where demand is strongest, which is consistent with the liquidity rankings that put the EC/H135, EC/H145, AW109S/SP, Bell 429 and S-76C+/C++ ahead of slower-moving types like the EC155B1/H155 and S-76D.

Geographically, Europe's 75% year-on-year growth in retail sales alongside its position as the region with the largest concentration of available supply is worth tracking against North America's 46% share of global transactions: whichever region absorbs its surplus supply faster will likely set the pace for pricing in the second half of the year. New-aircraft lead times, cited as part of the backdrop pushing buyers toward pre-owned stock, remain the external factor most likely to keep supply constrained if they do not ease.