On Sept. 5, CHC Helicopter celebrated the inaugural flight of CHC’s new Airbus H175 super-medium aircraft to the Ocean Patriot.
“I am delighted to see the H175 officially take off for our European operation – the first of three in the CHC fleet- and to offer this new-generation aircraft to Shell, for whom we have provided aviation services, in the United Kingdom/North Sea, since 2012,” said Mark Abbey, CHC regional director, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The aircraft can be configured to carry up to 16 passengers allowing CHC to efficiently manage our customers’ current North Sea operations whilst also providing a high level of operational flexibility. This is key to customers’ needs in the next phase of North Sea oil and gas activity.”
The Airbus Helicopters H175 is a new-generation medium-sized rotorcraft which first entered service in December 2014. Designed in collaboration with major oil-and-gas and search-and-rescue customers and operators, the H175 responds to the specific market needs and safety requirements. The H175 exceeds the requirements of the latest and most demanding CS-29 regulation and Oil & Gas Producer (OGP) guidelines.
To support the introduction of the H175 to CHC’s fleet, the company has designated the Aberdeen base as its global H175 engineering centre of excellence.
“We continue to refine our global fleet to best meet the unique needs of each customer,” said Dave Balevic, senior vice president, engineering and operations at CHC Helicopter. “The addition of the H175 allows us to offer the latest aircraft technology. Locating our H175 engineering centre of excellence in Aberdeen will ensure current and future customers benefit from our best in class, global standards and processes.”
