Sikorsky has recognized Helijet International for 30 years of safe scheduled airline and charter operations with S-76 helicopters. The recognition event was hosted at the 2017 Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo tradeshow.
Helijet’s fleet of 11 Sikorsky S-76 helicopters is used primarily for scheduled passenger transport, air medical services and corporate charter services. Sikorsky’s global S-76 fleet recently achieved a seven million flight hour milestone, to which Helijet’s operations contributed.
Sikorsky also recognized Helijet president and CEO Daniel Sitnam for his dedication and commitment to safety, leadership and training throughout the 30-year journey.
“It is with great pride that we highlight this long-standing relationship and recognize Helijet for the trust placed in Sikorsky helicopters for the past three decades,” said Sikorsky vice president for strategy and business development, Nathalie Previte.
“This milestone is particularly notable as Helijet is the first helicopter airline with such a lengthy record of uninterrupted airline operations, moving well over two million passengers to date.”
For more than 19 years, Helijet has provided air medical transport services through its British Columbia Ambulance Services (BCAS) division. The BCAS Airevac Ambulance Program is one of the largest in North America, with approximately 7,000 patients flown every year, with pilots often navigating rugged terrain and adverse weather day and night.
“Since 1998, we’ve flown over 25,000 flight hours and facilitated more than 50,000 patient transfers with BCAS, using the Sikorsky S-76 series helicopter,” said Sitnam.
“Helijet has proven itself to be a dependable service provider while working within the often-challenging circumstances of BCAS patient transfer assignments. Without question, Sikorsky’s commitment to safety and customer service, and the reliability of the S-76 helicopter has been a key part of our success and our excellent safety record.”
Sikorsky has delivered more than 850 S-76 helicopters to customers globally since 1979 and will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the S-76’s first flight on March 13. The legendary S-76 helicopter operates in more than 40 countries on five continents.
