Sourcing commercial helicopters from China

Helicopter duty and customs controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 7 October 2026, all helicopter lines under heading 8802 carried 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measures and no suspensions recorded. Helicopters are split by unladen weight and civil use. The civil-use lines are the starting point for this guide; the other lines are included for classification comparison. Confirm the commodity code against the aircraft documentation.

The tariff attaches a restriction on entry into free circulation concerning ozone-depleting substances. Check the extinguishing agents and refrigerants fitted. Importing critical-use halons requires an ozone-depleting-substances licence; confirm the aircraft-specific requirement with your customs broker. The other helicopter lines also carry fluorinated greenhouse gas import controls. Where quota authorisations or delegations are required for pre-charged equipment, insufficient coverage prevents import into Great Britain. Ask your broker to check applicability to the installed equipment.

The tariff also lists a cultural objects export licence control. Government guidance states that importing objects of cultural interest into Great Britain has no licensing requirement under that regime. Ask your broker to confirm the relevance of the attached export measure, particularly for an older aircraft or later re-export. See the wider drones and aircraft guide for the broader product family. For land-and-water aircraft sourcing, see our amphibious aircraft guide. For aerobatic aircraft purchases, see our aerobatic aircraft sourcing guide.

Specify the helicopter and its certification route

Before ordering a crewed aircraft, have an aviation specialist confirm the airworthiness evidence recognised in the UK, the proposed model, and the certification and registration route. Carrying passengers, mail or cargo by air commercially requires an operating licence from the Civil Aviation Authority. Discuss the intended operation with the prospective operator before accepting a factory specification. For agricultural spraying, see our crop-spraying aircraft sourcing guide. For business jets, see our business jet sourcing guide.

Specify the exact airframe variant, engine, rotor system, avionics, seating, payload requirements and intended operating environment. Request the equipment list, weight documentation, flight manual, maintenance programme and component records. Agree responsibility for dismantling, preservation, transport supports, reassembly and acceptance checks. Use testing and certification support to define the evidence to request alongside the aviation specialist.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: A light civil helicopter for a small aviation business; illustrative values under 8802 11 00 10, invoiced at £250,000 free on board, with £5,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £255,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £255,000, so it is £51,000. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match airframe, engine and major component serial numbers to the contract, equipment list and supplied records.

Condition: have an aviation specialist check rotor blades, hubs, transmission, landing gear and airframe for damage, corrosion, leaks and evidence of repair.

Records: reconcile component service history, recorded usage, maintenance entries and replacement parts with the actual configuration.

Transport: photograph the aircraft on arrival, inspect lifting points and supports, check preservation and moisture protection, and account for every removed component before reassembly.

What goes wrong

A factory can supply an aircraft whose certification evidence does not support the buyer's intended UK use. Records may describe a different engine, avionics package or rotor configuration. Make the document review a purchase acceptance condition and resolve discrepancies before shipment.

Transport damage can affect blades, exposed connections and transmission mounts. Missing component histories make remaining service life difficult to assess. Agree preservation and packing with the receiving aviation specialist, retain dispatch photographs and hold acceptance until arrival findings and document gaps are resolved.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For machinery and equipment, see machinery imports.