LUXURY AND UTILITY COMBINED - Eurocopter

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© Avinco
FOCUS
François Gautier, CEO of Avinco.
Avinco, a company specializing in pre-owned helicopter
sales, was founded in 2003 by its current CEO François
Gautier, who had previously worked for some time at
Airbus. “My first trade was airplanes,” he explains, “and it was
only later that I expanded my activities to include helicopters.”
Avinco acts as a go-between for owners and buyers of previously
owned aircraft, but the company based in Monaco and Dublin
also buys and sells helicopters on its own. Through these complementary
activities, approximately one hundred helicopters
have changed hands over the past four years, with about half
being sold directly by Avinco.
“We are now the leader in the worldwide market for pre-owned
helicopters,” said Mr. Gautier. “We work mainly with developing
countries and rapidly expanding, emerging economies. We
offer more affordable solutions, and our previously owned helicopters
can be acquired more quickly than new ones.” Avinco
deals mainly in Eurocopter helicopters from both the current and
former range, from the EC120 to the Super Puma, working exclusively
in the civil market. Thanks to the company’s close ties with
Eurocopter, which brings to the table an extensive product knowhow
and market intelligence, Avinco is also able to offer technical
services that set it apart from the competition. “We can take wellcalculated
investment risks, such as modifying the configuration
of an aircraft or upgrading its equipment,” said Mr. Gautier.
Avinco doesn’t hesitate to take commercial risks as well. The
company has jumped at opportunities to snap up entire fleets
of former-range helicopters. “We acquired a stock of 17 BO105s
and 8 Pumas—not many of our competitors would have done the
same,” he added. Another advantage is the company’s capability
to work worldwide, in particular through cooperative efforts with
Eurocopter’s network of subsidiaries.
“It’s a win-win relationship for both Eurocopter and Avinco,”
points out Mr. Gautier, “because previously-owned helicopter
sales are a great way to attract new customers. We are also
ROTOR JOURNAL - NO.87 - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010
AVINCO,
THE BEST
DEAL AROUND
Avinco has become the leader on the pre-owned helicopter
market, in part thanks to the close ties it enjoys with Eurocopter.
ARTICLE: ALEXANDRE MARCHAND
looking to expand our leasing activities to offer a wider range of
services.” ■
© Avinco
Avinco has found buyers for around one hundred
aircraft over the past four years, half of which
were sold under its own name.