We are hearing more and more that Bond will change its name to bring it in line with parent company Babcock.  The onshore element Bond Air Services, along with Bond Offshore Helicopters, were both represented under the Babcock name at the recent Helitech International event in London, and Bond staff told us there that they are still trading under the Bond name “until they are told otherwise by Babcock” without saying how likely they thought it was to happen.  We cannot see any reason to brand the company under the Babcock name at a major event like Helitech without there being a plan in place.

Industry sources have suggested a number of different reasons that would support the name change, mostly along the lines that the Bond name has negative PR value.

The only complication in the rename plan is that it would imply all the other parts of the old Avincis Group could also be brought in line, and implications of the associated costs.  This would include INAER in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France, along with Australian Helicopters and Scandinavian Air Ambulance which clearly have geographical identities.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com