What I am looking forward to at HAI Heli-Expo 2024…

By Miguel Carrasco, President of Heli-One

One of my favourite weeks of the year is drawing close - HAI Heli-Expo 2024 is just around the corner, taking place later this month. For me it is a time of optimism – to learn about innovation and problem solving in our industry, build new relationships and catch up with old acquaintances. A true celebration of what our industry is all about and how much it has to offer.

So, as we approach the helicopter industry version of The Oscars, I’d like to share with you what I am looking forward to about this year’s event in Anaheim.

Catching up with familiar faces

We’re lucky at Heli-One to work with hundreds of wonderful clients across the military, government and private sector organisations, using helicopters for numerous applications.

Our history as the maintenance arm of one of the largest commercial operators in the world means we have a deep understanding of the demands and priorities of our clients, and have built long, trusted partnerships as a result.

Heli-Expo gives our team the chance to catch up with colleagues, clients and friends from around the globe as we share our experiences and ideas to keep our industry flying.

One of the things I am most proud of is our focus on meeting our customers’ needs and our high standards of service delivery. We are continuing to challenge the way we think about customer service excellence to ensure our clients are able to focus on flying, while we give them everything they need to be mission ready.

Hearing from OEMs

One of the key strengths in our ability to serve customers is our relationships with the OEMs. Heli-One has enjoyed long-standing partnerships with the likes of Pratt & Whitney and Airbus to deliver excellent customer service. A highlight of these events for me is hearing from them - learning how the platforms we all rely on are developing and evolving with the industry.

We also have a long history of maintaining both Sikorsky and Leonardo aircraft, within CHC’s fleet, which itself has many S-92s and 139s, and for our customers. We agreed only last week to deepen our relationship with Sikorsky, with our ability to serve S-76s being extended to cover S-76D and customers in Japan.

I am also looking forward to hearing more from our friends at Sikorsky about the S-92. It has been a vital aircraft that has allowed us to reach places and deliver results that would not have been possible without its reliability, range and versatility. Sending people to some of the harshest environments on the planet and bringing them back safely.

There have been endless column inches about how its users have been impacted by the global supply chain challenges, but often those columns neglect to mention why the S-92 is so prevalent in our industry.

Complex problems, like supply chain issues, require complex solutions, but the quality of the platform, and the continued demand for it, means Sikorsky can afford to spend the time and money required to find a solution. I can’t wait to hear from Leon and his team about their latest investments in the platform we all love so much.

Finally, I am looking forward to telling clients more about the embedded maintenance work we are doing with Bell for the Canadian DND’s CH146 Griffon helicopters, which we announced earlier this month.

Sharing innovation

At our last big industry meeting in Madrid we announced our partnership with ITP Aero. We have continued to work with our colleagues to deliver innovative solutions that integrate or extend ITP Aero’s Engine Diagnosis and Health Monitoring service into a variety of major aircraft, including the S-92, AW189, AW139, and AS332. I look forward to hearing more about these types of collaborations across the industry.

Innovation and sustainability are not necessarily natural bedfellows in many industries as obsolescence can be a significant driver of waste, but I’m constantly amazed how our colleagues at Heli-One embrace their role as a natural centre of circularity in the helicopter industry. We are continually evaluating how we use data to drive improvements and questioning how we work to increase efficiency - this has seen us repair not replace, extend component lifespans and reduce our overall carbon footprint.

Summing up

When I talk to colleagues and look at the headlines, it sometimes feels like our industry is facing some overwhelming challenges, I look at the current situation through a different lens. Our industry is not the only one facing staff shortages and supply chain constraints, but we may feel it more keenly than others because the underlying demand for our services is as strong as it ever has been.

I am looking forward to getting together next week to celebrate our role in so many vital industries and public services, and finding solutions together to ensure that we can continue to deliver vertical aviation solutions for the people that need them.