Helicopter industry gathers in the Greater Zurich Area

The Swiss Aerospace Cluster and the location promotion organization Standortförderung Glarus are hosting the first Schweizer Helitag on February 11 in the canton of Glarus. The aim is to bring together manufacturers and operators from the helicopter industry to discuss the future of the sector.

“We are uniting two worlds at the first Schweizer Helitag,” commented Erik Linden, CEO of the Swiss Aerospace Cluster. “Operators and manufacturers otherwise only tend to meet at small events.”

Among the speakers at the event are Christian Hegner, Director of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, Martin Candinas, President of the Swiss Helicopter Association, and Andreas Löwenstein, CEO of the Kopter Group. In the spirit of one of its themes – the synergies between helicopters and drones – the event will also showcase novel helicopters and drones. 

Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world for the aerospace industry, according to the statement, because it offers the “ideal foundations for innovation”. Important factors are the geographic situation in the Alps and the favorable economic conditions.  

The canton of Glarus has already made a name for itself as a center for the helicopter industry. The first Swiss helicopter was developed in Mollis by the Kopter Group, which at the time was Marenco Swisshelicopter. Since then the company has been headquartered in Mollis, where it is currently building a new production plant that will produce 50 helicopters per year.