REGIONAL FLIGHTS - HELICOPTERS OR AIRCRAFT?

In the 50s, one of the directions of development of helicopter construction was considered the creation of multi-seat helicopters (30-50 seats) for servicing regional routes.

A project was even developed for a jet engine to drive the rotor. But the high level of noise prevented the development of this direction. Investments in airport infrastructure made it possible to cope with the growing passenger traffic by opening additional routes by air.

But now the problem of congested airports and the difficulty of getting slots for departures or arrivals have pushed engineers from AgustaWestland and Eurocopter to return to the idea of ​​regional passenger helicopters with increased capacity. Of the realistic plans, it is worth considering the possibility of creating 20 local helicopters that can compete with turboprop aircraft on flights up to 300 km, since helicopters are less demanding on infrastructure - they do not require a runway, and as a result, it becomes possible to organize flights to more destinations.

We will monitor the development of such helicopters and their possible commercial launch.