AINalerts: March 6, 2023 | News from HAI Heli-Expo 2023

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Viola Pushes For Tighter Coordination Between Helos, AAM

Helicopter Association International (HAI) returns to Atlanta this year with momentum and a broader reach as the association pushes toward closer collaboration with the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector, president and CEO James Viola said.

Viola noted that last year’s resumption of Heli-Expo in Dallas after a two-year hiatus “was big” and added this year would likely prove even larger. “I’m pretty sure we’ll top our numbers from last year,” he said. Early registrations have exceeded last year's count and the number of exhibitors by late January had already topped 600. He noted that Atlanta was well received when HAI first hosted Heli-Expo there in 2019.

Airo Group Commits to SPAC-backed Nasdaq Listing

Airo Group has agreed to merge with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Kernel Group Holdings to achieve a listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the third quarter. The group includes eVTOL aircraft developer Jaunt Air Mobility, Aspen Avionics, and several drone operations businesses.

Announced on Monday, the deal represents a shift in fundraising strategy for Airo Group, which since October 2021 has worked on plans for a direct initial public offering without the involvement of a SPAC. Many expected that to lead to a Wall Street listing in 2022 but softening investment sentiment for the advanced air mobility sector appears to have held up that and other funding rounds in the sector.

MD Helicopters Settles Copyright Case With Aerometals

MD Helicopters (MDH) has reached a settlement in a copyright infringement case against parts manufacturer Aerometals it says lays the groundwork for a partnership between the companies that have been in a legal dispute since 2016. The settlement announced on March 3 “encourages” the organizations to reach “a mutually beneficial relationship” that could lead to competitive pricing for parts needed to manufacture MD’s rotorcraft.

Changes in ownership at Arizona-based MD Helicopters and its bankruptcy in March 2022 have complicated the long-running case. Bond insurer MBIA acquired the company out of Chapter 11 protection last September.

FAA Updating Helicopter Certification Standards

Amendments to FAR Parts 27 and 29—governing normal and transport category civil rotorcraft certification standards—will take effect on April 11 and follow an analysis of comments from interested parties after a related notice of proposed rulemaking.

These standards date back to 1964 and the FAA maintains that the changes are necessary “to address modern designs currently used in the rotorcraft industry and will reduce the burden on applicants for certification of new rotorcraft designs.” In some cases, new technology has rendered the regulations in Parts 27 and 29 obsolete. This final rule revises those regulations.

Brighter Market Prompts Airbus To Upgrade Helicopters

The tentative recovery in the turbine rotorcraft market achieved modest momentum in 2022, fueled mainly by rising demand in the civil and parapublic sectors, and more specifically, the private and business aviation sectors. That's according to the latest market analysis released on February 16 by Airbus Helicopters. Overall, new helicopter orders grew by only 2 percent last year to reach 1,082 units, but the European group now projects that more than 16,200 new helicopters will be delivered over the next 20 years with a combined value of €120 billion ($128 billion). This brighter outlook is prompting Airbus to increase investments to upgrade its product portfolio.

Announcing 2022 financial results for the Airbus Group last month, its rotorcraft division reported a 19 percent increase in earnings to €639 million on revenues that were up 8 percent at €7.1 billion. The company said these improvements reflected growth in income from services and “a favorable mix” in the performance of its various programs.