Sector demographics: larger helicopters

Based on current data there are 33 larger helicopter Part 133 Air Operator Certificates (AOCs).

In addition to holding a Part 133 certificate, operators also hold permissions for:

  • Part 138
  • Part 121
  • Part 135
  • Part 141
  • Part 142.

The majority being Part 138 – Aerial Work and Part 141 - standards for flight training (other than integrated training).

The 33 Part 133 operators in this sector have a maximum total of 160 helicopters.

Figure 1 depicts the 15 different makes and models currently operated. The average age of the fleet is 19.4 years with 12% of the helicopters manufactured before 1990. About 44% of the total fleet in this sector was manufactured after 2010.

The Leondardo AW139 and Bell 412 helicopters account for a combined total of 56% of the total number of rotorcrafts within this sector.

For medical transport operations A139, B412 and BK17 are the most common.

For non-scheduled, which offshore operations is the majority, the A139 is again the most commonly used helicopter. The Sikorsky is the next most popular S-92 and S-76. Refer to Figure 2 for the full list.

For offshore operations, these three helicopter types align with the most common types from global offshore fleet numbers.

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Figure 1: sector fleet based on AOC data and aircraft register (June 2023)
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Figure 2: Larger Part 133 annual average flight hours per helicopter type/model (2014 to 2021 BITRE)

Please note: Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) doesn’t separate non-scheduled offshore operations. This means the larger passenger transport also includes offshore operations.

This sector flew an estimated average of 38,116 hours per year between 2014 – 2021. With medical transport operations (MTO) flights accounting for approximately 46% of these hours and non-scheduled 54%, refer to Figure 3.

We saw a reduction in flying hours across 2019 for non-scheduled operations and in 2020 for MTO. Unlike other passenger transport sectors which saw COVID-19 cause a significant reduction in flight hours this sector didn't see the same impact.

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Figure 3: annual flight hours from larger transport helicopters (2014 to 2021 BITRE)

Source: Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), CASA database

Annual average distribution of sector activity (2014-2021)
Type Medical transport operations Non-scheduled larger helicopter Total
Flight hours 18,238 19,878 38,116
Percent of sector hours 46% 54% 100%
Published date: 29 November 2023
Online version available at: https://www.casa.gov.au//larger-helicopter-sector-safety-risk-profile/sector-demographics-larger-helicopters
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