In response to Bond Air Services decision to ground its fleet of EC 135s, BALPA said:

“Pilots are looking to the regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to take charge and provide the industry with the information that has informed the decision to ground the Bond EC-135 fleet. Flight safety is best served when there is transparency and openness and these developments leave everyone asking “Why?”.

“This grounding confirms our belief that a fundamental review about how helicopter operations are regulated is needed; a point we will be making forcefully to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee in their upcoming helicopter safety inquiry.”