Helicopter business charters are seasonal

Overall demand for helicopter business charters is growing in Russia but the sector is distinctly seasonal. According to the statistics collected by the helicopter dealer Aerosoyuz, 60% of rotorcraft hired out in October through April fly business-related missions. The figure drops to 10% between April and September.

Aerosoyuz defines business-related flights as those involving short-distance business travel, business meetings, power line inspection and road monitoring patrols, aerial photography, etc. The other two popular categories of helicopter charter services during the winter months, each accounting for 20% of all sorties flown, involve airlifting passengers to remote fishing and hunting locations and entertainment flights during the holiday season.

In summer, shuttling fishing and hunting enthusiasts accounts for up to 45% of all charter helicopter operations; corporate and customer hospitality events together with sightseeing flights over car racing sites add a further 30%; forestry monitoring patrols account for 10% and passenger services to remote country houses, 5%.