On the eve of this year’s Helitech exhibition in London, we dive into Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database for a look at the most popular civil turbine types flying.
No surprise, type longevity is a factor – and the prevalence of Bell models points to the marque’s huge heritage, even if recent years have seen it upstaged in the market. Data source: Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets
1. Bell 206
3,610 in service; 15% of the world fleet (entry into service: 1967)
206L4
Bell Helicopter
2. Airbus Helicopters AS350
3,399; 14% (1967)
AS350
Airbus Helicopters
3. Mil Mi-8
1,898; 8% (1967)
Mi-8
Croatian Defence Ministry
4. Bell 407
1,217; 5% (1996)
407
Bell Helicopter
5. MD Helicopters MD 500
1,148; 5% (1982)
MD 500
MD Helicopters
6. Bell 212/412
1,067; 4% (1981)
Bell 212
Bell Helicopter
7. Airbus Helicopters EC135
1,021; 4% (1996)
EC135
Airbus Helicopters
8. AgustaWestland AW109
963; 4% (1976)
AW109 Power
AgustaWestland
9. AgustaWestland AW139
643; 3% (2003)
AW139
AgustaWestland
10. Bell UH-1
638; 3% (1959)
205A++
Alan Radecki/wikimedia commons
Source: FlightGlobal.com
