Back to Work

The North Sea fleet of Eurocopter EC225 Super Pumas — grounded for 10 months after two ditchings in 2012 — is headed back to sea after corrective actions that civil aviation authorities say were designed to “restore an acceptable level of safety” to offshore operations.

CHC Helicopters — one of three North Sea operators of Super Pumas — conducted the first flight in early August, carrying energy company managers from Aberdeen, Scotland, to the North Alwyn platform to tell offshore workers about their plans to resume use of EC225s for routine crew-change flights.¹

A representative of Bristow Helicopters said the company was “in the process of making the required modifications” to its EC225s in the U.K., Norway and Australia and that it plans to return the helicopters to service after the work is completed, probably between October and December of 2013.