Revenue for 2021 has already surpassed 2019 figures
After nearly two years of pandemic-imposed silence, Lisbon Helicopters has returned to the skies above the Portuguese capital, offering visitors a chance to rediscover the city from above — this time with Christmas routes, expanded fleets, and bundled experiences that speak to a tourism sector cautiously reclaiming its altitude. The company's revival, with 2021 revenues already outpacing those of 2019, is less a simple business restart than a small emblem of collective recovery: the human desire to move, to see, and to celebrate, reasserting itself against the stillness that the pandemic imposed.
- A long grounding ends: Lisbon Helicopters breaks its pandemic silence with a seasonal Christmas route over Belém, priced from €49 per person — a deliberate, optimistic gesture toward normalcy.
- The return is not modest — four helicopters, new staff, and a portfolio stretching from five-minute baptism flights to €1,489 celebration packages signal a company betting heavily on recovery.
- Tension lingers beneath the confidence: the company currently depends almost entirely on foreign tourists, a fragile foundation that management is actively working to diversify toward business travelers and other Portuguese regions.
- Revenue for 2021 has already surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels, giving the company tangible ground to stand on as it plans expansion beyond Lisbon.
- The trajectory points upward — but the ambition to reach new markets and new regions means Lisbon Helicopters is not simply returning to what it was, but attempting to become something larger.
Lisbon Helicopters is back in the air. After a prolonged shutdown during the pandemic, the company has resumed tourist flights over the Portuguese capital, anchoring its return with a Christmas route — an eight-minute journey over Belém priced at €49 per person. The restart signals a broader reopening of helicopter tourism as visitor numbers climb back toward pre-pandemic levels.
Founded in 2013 and owned by the Helibravo group, the company now operates four helicopters seating between three and six passengers. Commercial director Duarte Moreira credits recovering tourism demand for the company's investment in new aircraft and staff. Standard routes range from a five-minute introductory flight over the Tower of Belém at €39 per person to a sweeping forty-five-minute journey along the Estoril coast, Cape Roca, and the Sintra mountains at €295.
Beyond sightseeing, Lisbon Helicopters has developed bundled experiences that pair flights with ground activities. A sidecar-and-city-tour package runs €337.50 for two; a vintage car drive from Estoril to Cape Roca followed by an aerial pass over Pena Palace costs €1,345 for three; and a limousine-and-helicopter celebration package for up to five people reaches €1,489.
Moreira expressed measured confidence: 2021 revenues have already exceeded those of 2019, the last full pre-pandemic year. The company's current clientele is predominantly foreign tourists, but management is looking outward — toward other Portuguese regions and toward business travelers — as it positions itself not merely for recovery, but for growth.
Lisbon Helicopters is back in the air. After a long shutdown during the pandemic, the company has resumed tourist flights over the Portuguese capital, launching a Christmas route priced at forty-nine euros per person for an eight-minute journey over Belém that accommodates three passengers. The return marks a broader reopening of the helicopter tourism sector as visitor numbers climb back toward pre-pandemic levels.
Founded in 2013 and owned by the Helibravo group, Lisbon Helicopters operates a fleet of four helicopters with capacities ranging from three to six passengers, not counting the pilot. The company's commercial director, Duarte Moreira, attributes the expansion to recovering tourism demand. The company has invested in additional aircraft and staff while broadening its menu of offerings beyond simple sightseeing routes.
The standard helicopter routes vary in length and price. The shortest experience, called Baptismo de Voo (First Flight), lasts five minutes and costs thirty-nine euros per person, taking passengers over the Champalimaud Foundation and the Tower of Belém. The longest routes stretch to forty-five minutes and run two hundred ninety-five euros per person, sweeping over the Tagus estuary, the Estoril coast, Cascais, Cape Roca, and the Sintra mountains. Private charter flights occupy a different price tier, ranging from one hundred seventeen to eight hundred eighty-five euros depending on duration and destination.
Beyond basic sightseeing, the company has developed three integrated experiences that bundle helicopter time with ground activities. The Adventure in Lisbon package, priced at three hundred thirty-seven euros fifty, combines a sidecar ride, a ten-minute flight, and a guided tour of the city for two people. The Classic Cars experience costs thirteen hundred forty-five euros and allows up to three passengers to drive a vintage automobile from Estoril to Cape Roca before flying over the same terrain and the Pena Palace. The most expensive offering, a Bachelor or Birthday celebration package at fourteen hundred eighty-nine euros, accommodates up to five people and includes a limousine ride along the Marginal Road followed by a helicopter flight over the Sintra mountains.
Moreira expressed confidence about the company's trajectory. Revenue for 2021 has already surpassed 2019 figures, the last full year before the pandemic disrupted travel. The company currently serves primarily foreign tourists visiting Lisbon, but management intends to expand operations to other regions of Portugal and pursue business travelers as a new customer segment. The restart of Lisbon Helicopters reflects a broader confidence in sustained tourism recovery, even as the company positions itself for growth beyond its current footprint.
Citas Notables
With the return of pre-pandemic tourism levels came investment in the helicopter fleet and staff, along with an expanded range of tourist packages— Duarte Moreira, commercial director of Lisbon Helicopters
Expectations for next year are high, and this year's revenue already exceeds 2019 figures— Duarte Moreira
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did it take so long for helicopter tourism to restart? Wasn't it one of the safer outdoor activities?
The pandemic froze everything at once—not just because of health concerns, but because tourists stopped coming. You can't run a tourism business without tourists. The company needed to wait for international travel to recover and visitor confidence to return.
So the Christmas route at forty-nine euros—is that a real price or a loss leader to get people back?
It's positioned as promotional pricing, which suggests they're using it to rebuild the customer base. But the range of their offerings—from thirty-nine euros to nearly nine hundred—tells you they're not betting everything on volume. They're building a tiered market.
The company says 2021 revenue is already above 2019. That's remarkable. What changed?
Two things. First, pent-up demand. People who couldn't travel for eighteen months are eager to spend on experiences. Second, the company invested in more helicopters and staff, so they have more capacity to capture that demand. It's a virtuous cycle.
Why target business travelers next? That seems like a different customer entirely.
It is. Right now they're selling memories to tourists. Business travelers are a steadier, year-round revenue stream. They're thinking about stability, not just recovery.
Does expanding to other regions of Portugal make sense for a helicopter company?
It does if you're thinking about scale. Lisbon is saturated with tourists, but Porto, the Algarve, Madeira—they all have wealthy visitors and scenic routes. It's geographic diversification.