Rotex Helicopter
Rotex Helicopter AG operates a European specialty helicopter transport service using three Kaman K-Max K-1200 heavy-lift airframes to deliver external load transport, forestry, assembly, and firefighting support to construction, forestry, and emergency services clients across Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, France, and Italy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersBalzers, Liechtenstein
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Rotex Helicopter does
Rotex Helicopter AG is a Liechtenstein-incorporated, owner-managed helicopter services company headquartered in Balzers with operational offices in Kägiswil and Evionnaz, Switzerland. Founded in 1997, the company operates a specialized fleet of three Kaman K-Max K-1200 helicopters optimized for precision external load (sling load) operations with a maximum payload of 2,722 kg per flight. Across its roughly two-decade operating history, Rotex has accumulated more than 40,000 flight hours and positions itself as the European market leader in mid-heavy external load helicopter transport. The K-Max platform features an internal gyro crane system, and Rotex supplements its airframes with a ground support fleet including Helitrac JCB material handlers, tank trucks, and material buses for end-to-end mission execution.
The company serves forestry, construction and infrastructure, firefighting, and general transport/logistics customers across Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Italy, and select international markets. Service lines are organized around four core offerings — Forst (forestry), Montagen (assembly), Transport (heavy/oversize cargo), and Feuer & Hilfe (fire and humanitarian aid) — plus a CO2 compensation service offered through a partnership with Swiss Climate that links client emissions to Swiss protection forest management. Operations are run by a distributed team of regional project managers, each assigned to specific cantons or countries, supported by Nominated Persons for flight operations, ground operations, crew training, and continuing airworthiness, plus a Safety Manager and Compliance Monitoring Manager to satisfy aviation regulatory requirements.
Revenue is generated through project-based quotations tied to payload weight, flight distance, environmental complexity, and duration, with multi-year contracts available and pricing subject to fuel, tax, and currency adjustment clauses. Rotex operates a direct sales motion complemented by inbound leads from its multilingual website (German, English, French, Italian) and social channels. The 21-employee organization runs a lean structure that combines its own flight crews with third-party operators contracted as needed, allowing flexible mission scaling without proportional fixed-cost growth.
Rotex Helicopter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rotex Helicopter
- Legal name
- ROTEX Helicopter AG
- Website
- https://rotex-helicopter.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rotex Helicopter AG operates a European specialty helicopter transport service using three Kaman K-Max K-1200 heavy-lift airframes to deliver external load transport, forestry, assembly, and firefighting support to construction, forestry, and emergency services clients across Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, France, and Italy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rotex Helicopter industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aerial Heavy-Lift Transport Services
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219)
- akta.pro primary industry
- On-Demand Helicopter Charter (Private/Corporate) (TLAFACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Helicopter Crew Change & Offshore Passenger Transfers (Oil & Gas / Wind) (TLAFACAH)
Keywords
Where Rotex Helicopter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Balzers
- HQ country
- Liechtenstein
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Rotex Helicopter business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Helicopter Transport Services: ROTEX generates revenue through helicopter transport services, including external load transport, assembly/montage operations, forestry services, firefighting support, and humanitarian assistance. Pricing follows project-based quotations based on payload, distance, complexity, and duration. Services are provided with own fleet and third-party operators contracted as needed.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based helicopter transport services quoted per mission |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Rotex Helicopter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ROTEX Helicopter AG operates a specialized fleet of Kaman K-Max K-1200 helicopters to provide external load (sling load) helicopter transport services for payloads up to 2,722 kg across Europe. The company delivers end-to-end project execution — from consultation and planning through flight operations — in forestry/logging, construction assembly/montage, general transport, firefighting support, and humanitarian assistance. Operations are run with its own three-aircraft K-Max fleet, supplemented by contracted third-party operators when required.
Product overview
Rotex Helicopter operates a fleet of Kaman K-Max K-1200 heavy-lift helicopters specialized in external load transport (up to 2,722 kg), supported by ground equipment including Helitrac JCB material handlers, tank trucks, and material buses. The company provides comprehensive helicopter services across Europe including forestry, assembly, transport, firefighting support, and humanitarian assistance. They offer CO2 compensation through Swiss Climate for sustainable forest management in Swiss protection forests. Founded in 1997, they have accumulated over 40,000 flight hours and are a European leader in mid-heavy load helicopter transport.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Forestry Helicopter Services (Forst) Helicopter-based forestry services including timber extraction and forest management support in roadless or remote areas, targeted at forestry and logging companies.
- Assembly and Installation Services (Montagen) Helicopter-assisted assembly, mounting, and installation services for construction and infrastructure projects requiring heavy lifting or precision placement in challenging terrain.
- External Load Transport Services (Transport) General external load helicopter transport of materials and oversized/overweight cargo to locations inaccessible by conventional transport or ground cranes.
- Fire and Humanitarian Assistance Services (Feuer & Hilfe) Helicopter support for wildfire suppression (water and equipment delivery to fire zones), emergency supply delivery, and disaster relief transport for firefighting agencies and humanitarian organizations.
- CO2 Compensation Service Carbon offset service offered jointly with Swiss Climate that allows ROTEX customers to compensate the CO2 emissions from helicopter transport by supporting sustainable Swiss protection forest management and wood energy projects.
Companies that use Rotex Helicopter
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Rotex Helicopter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Rotex Helicopter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Swiss ClimateminorROTEX Helicopter partners with Swiss Climate to offer CO2 compensation services to customers. Through this partnership, clients can offset the CO2 emissions from helicopter transport by supporting Swiss sustainable forest management projects. The partnership focuses on Swiss protection forest management and sustainable wood energy production.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rotex Helicopter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Helitrans AG: Swiss helicopter operator providing passenger transport, external load, and aerial work across Switzerland. Overlaps with ROTEX in Alpine construction-montage and material transport use cases in similar Swiss geographies.
- Air Glaciers SA: Swiss/Valais helicopter operator active in mountain transport, assembly work, and industrial lifting. Comparable to ROTEX in Alpine external-load operations and customer verticals, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland.
- Helog Holding GmbH: Austrian heavy-lift helicopter specialist operating inter alia Kamov and K-Max aircraft for external load operations across Alpine Europe. Direct competitor to ROTEX in the same specialized external-load transport niche with similar geographic overlap.
- Wucher Helikopter: Austrian helicopter operator with significant Alpine operations covering transport, rescue, and external-load work. Comparable to ROTEX in fleet composition, regional coverage, and customer segments including forestry and construction.
- Heliswiss International AG: Swiss-based helicopter operator providing transport, assembly, and external load services across Switzerland and neighboring Alpine markets. Directly competes with ROTEX for Swiss canton-level forestry and construction-montage contracts.
- Mountain Flyers: Swiss helicopter operator based in the Bernese Oberland offering charter, flights, and external load services in Alpine terrain. Comparable to ROTEX's Swiss regional operations and customer base in mountainous construction and rescue work.
Broad incumbents
- CHC Helicopter: Global helicopter operator with strong European presence in offshore crew change, SAR, and aerial work. Comparable to ROTEX in offering specialized helicopter services to industrial customers, but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
- Bristow Group: Global helicopter services major serving offshore oil and gas, search and rescue, and government customers. While far larger and broader than ROTEX, Bristow overlaps in industrial helicopter operations and could compete for larger pan-European external-load contracts.
Regional players
- Heli Austria GmbH: Austrian helicopter company offering passenger transport, charter, and external load services in Austria. Comparable to ROTEX in service offerings but primarily focused on Austrian domestic markets rather than pan-Alpine coverage.
- HTM Helicopter Travel Munich: German helicopter operator providing charter, transport, and industrial helicopter services from Munich. Comparable to ROTEX in offering charter and external load services, but primarily focused on German markets rather than Alpine cross-border operations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rotex Helicopter social profiles
Digital presenceRotex Helicopter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rotex Helicopter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Rotex Helicopter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rotex Helicopter M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rotex Helicopter
What does Rotex Helicopter do?
ROTEX Helicopter AG operates a specialized fleet of Kaman K-Max K-1200 helicopters to provide external load (sling load) helicopter transport services for payloads up to 2,722 kg across Europe. The company delivers end-to-end project execution — from consultation and planning through flight operations — in forestry/logging, construction assembly/montage, general transport, firefighting support, and humanitarian assistance. Operations are run with its own three-aircraft K-Max fleet, supplemented by contracted third-party operators when required.
Is Rotex Helicopter a public or private company?
Rotex Helicopter is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rotex Helicopter founded?
Rotex Helicopter was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rotex Helicopter based?
Rotex Helicopter is headquartered in Balzers, Liechtenstein, in the Europe region.
How does Rotex Helicopter make money?
One revenue line is on record: helicopter Transport Services.
Who are Rotex Helicopter's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Helitrans AG, Air Glaciers SA, Helog Holding GmbH, Wucher Helikopter, Heliswiss International AG and Mountain Flyers. Broad incumbents are CHC Helicopter and Bristow Group. Regional players are Heli Austria GmbH and HTM Helicopter Travel Munich.
Does Rotex Helicopter have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rotex Helicopter.
What industry is Rotex Helicopter in?
Rotex Helicopter's product category is Aerial Heavy-Lift Transport Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAFACAB, On-Demand Helicopter Charter (Private/Corporate), with a secondary code of TLAFACAH, Helicopter Crew Change & Offshore Passenger Transfers (Oil & Gas / Wind). Its NAICS code is 4812.