Bristow Clocks Up New Record On Eurocopter EC 225 Helicopters
Marignane, 26 September 2007
BRISTOW Helicopters has soared ahead clocking up a record-breaking 10,000 flying hours on its fleet of new helicopters.
The flying time is the result of its six new Eurocopter EC 225 helicopters. They are the successor to the AS 332L Super Puma and are being deployed across the North Sea and beyond. The distance they have flown so far is an amazing 1.7million miles, the equivalent of flying to the moon seven times or almost 70 round-the-world trips.
Bristow European Operations, based in Aberdeen, were the lead commercial customer for the EC 225 and began operations with the aircraft in September 2005. One of its most notable early flights was to an installation in the Dragon field, off Swansea, in South Wales, carrying 19 passengers and back without refuelling.
Within the first 18 months the aircraft chalked up 5000 hours ferrying workers to and from oil and gas platforms. But, in the six months since May 2007, Bristow’s fleet of six EC 225s have raced ahead to 10,000 flight hours.
This has been achieved due to the EC 225’s ability to travel consistently with a full fuel and payload of 19 passengers and baggage, the excellent performance of the engineering team maintaining the helicopters’ availability and the dedication of the highly-skilled flight operations team.
John Cloggie, Bristow’s Director of European Operations said: “The EC 225 is the only aircraft in the North Sea that guarantees a full 19-seat payload and that is very significant for Bristow customers who need this reliability of payload. To be able to offer our customers the consistency of planning for 19 passengers is key to the helicopter’s success and very important in the maintenance of the Bristow reputation for safety and reliability.
“As well as the state-of-the-art aircraft, the other vital feature of Bristow’s service is the dedicated team of professional crew and operations staff who have made this achievement possible.” He added: “Bristow has a highly-trained and committed workforce across all disciplines – from engineers and pilots to ramp and apron staff along with those in our passenger terminal – who ensure our service runs smoothly and at the highest standard.
”Bristow is delighted to have achieved this milestone so quickly and looks forward to flying our customers for the next 10,000 hours.”
Bernard Fujarski, Eurocopter’s EC 225 programme director, said: “The EC 225 brings a step change in respect of safety enhancements, performance characteristics and comfort features compared with the previous generation of helicopters in the passenger transport role.
“We are very proud to see the EC 225 attain the 10,000 flight hour mark so quickly. Bringing a new aircraft type into service so successfully says much, not only for the qualities of the EC 225, but also for the professionalism of the Bristow flight and ground crews whom we warmly congratulate on this achievement.”
About Bristow Group Inc
The Bristow Group employs 4,200 staff across the world and, with its affiliated companies, has a fleet of over 470 helicopters making the Group one of the largest providers of helicopter transportation services. Our mission is to provide the safest and most efficient helicopter transportation, maintenance, search and rescue and aviation support to our customers around the world. We are a leading provider of helicopter transportation services to the worldwide offshore oil and gas industry with major operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. We also have operations in all of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world including Alaska, Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and Trinidad.
Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure
Statements contained in this news release that state the Company’s or management’s intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding future results, the addition of new aircraft to our fleet and future investments. It is important to note that actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forwardlooking statements is contained from time to time in the Company’s SEC filings, including but not limited to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 and the annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007. Bristow Group Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements, including financial estimates, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise
About Eurocopter
Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 14,000 people. In 2006, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer with a turnover of 3.8 billion euros, orders for 615 new helicopters, and a 52% percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s products account for 30% percent of the total world helicopter fleet. Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 17 subsidiaries on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centres. More than 9,800 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in service with over 2,500 customers in 140 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.
Contact
Issued on behalf of Bristow Helicopters Ltd by Weber Shandwick.
For further details contact Alison Shaw on 01224 806608 or 07770 886922.
Please do not hesitate to contact Pekkee SUM on +33628821206 from Eurocopter Press Department for more information.
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