Matt Zuccaro, President & CEO, Helicopter Association International, shares his views on the current state of the industry.

“I think we are on a slow trend towards improving,” Zuccaro says. “It’s going to be a long road and it’s not going to happen overnight but it’s all about the trending, not the actual speed at which we are going.”

Key issues impacting the helicopter industry include the price of oil, the offshore industry and business confidence.

Zuccaro said: “They’ve [the helicopter industry] had a tough couple of decades but they’re survivors – they come back, they diversify. They have the ability to take the equipment and the personnel and put it on other mission segments to diversify their business line.”

Good news

Zuccaro notes: “Utility work has held fairly well in the sense that there’s always a need for helicopters to service the utility community — fire search and rescue, police work, etc. All the things that we do every day on behalf of the greater good of the public. “

He adds: “It’s good news that the business community is coming back and so is the use of helicopters.”

Watch the video for more of Matt’s insights, including his views on the fast-emerging area of ‘flying taxis’ in urban areas.

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