HOUSTON, TEXAS (Editors at Energy Analytics Institute, 26.Feb.2025) â Bristow Group Inc., a global provider of innovative and sustainable vertical flight solutions, expects market conditions to remain constructive in 2025-26 amid headwinds facing the global energy sector.
“Increased activity in the offshore energy industry, a tighter equipment market, and inflationary cost pressures have driven meaningful rate increases, which we have continued to capture during contract renewal and new project tenders,” Bristow said 26 Feb. 2025 in its fourth-quarter 2025 financial press release.
Bristow expects headwinds such as continued supply chain shortages, particularly those related to the S92 heavy helicopters, will persist throughout 2025.
“However, with current utilization levels for medium, super medium and heavy helicopters at or near 100%, coupled with unmet lift demand and long lead-times for new builds, we anticipate market conditions to remain constructive for our industry in 2025 and 2026. Additionally, the cadence of our contract renewals is such that more of the contracts would commence in late 2025 or 2026,” the company said.
Regional overview: Europe, Americas and Africa
Bristow’s 3 main offshore market regions are Europe, Americas and Africa, which the latter arguably being the company’s most promising.
In Europe though 2024, Bristow benefited from the full-year impact of a new contract in Norway and higher ad hoc activity on attractive rates in the UK. This in comparison to the North Sea, which is a mature market with limited growth opportunities.
In 2025, Bristow expects activity in Europe will remain mostly stable, though S92 supply chain challenges remain a risk.
In the Americas, Bristow saw meaningful increases in its market largely attributed to the full-year impact of expanded operations in Brazil.
“The growing demand in Brazil offers additional opportunities, though the timing of these opportunities is weighted towards the back half of 2025, with full-year impacts expected in 2026,” Bristow said.
The company also expects activity to increase in the US and Suriname.
In Africa, Bristow said Nigeria remains one of the company’s most promising markets, “as the business continues to absorb increasing demand in the region.”
“The combination of increased utilization, higher rates and added capacity is fueling our growth in this market. Absent additional supply chain headwinds, we expect this momentum to continue in 2025,” Bristow said in the press release.
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By Editors at Energy Analytics Institute. © 2025 Energy Analytics Institute (EAI). All Rights Reserved.
