British oil & gas helicopter support operator Bond Offshore Helicopters signed a new Support-by-the-Hour® contract with Turbomeca UK for their four new AS365N3 Dauphins, powered by the Arriel engine.

The helicopters’ Arriel 2C turbines will be maintained by Turbomeca UK which supports nearly 700 engines powering British and Irish-owned customers’ helicopters. Two of the new helicopters will be based at Blackpool and link platforms in the north and south Morecambe gas fields, about 25 miles off the north-west coast. The other two will fly from Norwich on the east coast.

Turbomeca UK CEO Christian Hamel is delighted that his team has finalised the deal which, for the first time, is based on a modular maintenance concept covering unscheduled removals and overhauls. “We already support the engines powering Bond’s offshore Super Puma and EC225 fleet, together with 19 EC135 air ambulances operated by Bond Aviation Services. I am very pleased to be able to announce this new extension to our relationship. The Dauphins are expected to fly around 1,500 hours per helicopter each year, so the Arriel engines will be working hard. We will be working just as hard to provide the best possible support to our customer.”

Bond Group CEO Geoff Williams comments; “We have an excellent relationship with Turbomeca that has evolved over 30 years. We have been in SBH® contracts for the majority of that time. “Turbomeca allows us to remain competitive in the marketplace from a cost point-of-view, whilst ensuring engine reliability and performance meet our expectations.”

Bond Aviation Group is the largest privately-owned helicopter company in the UK. Bond Offshore Helicopters services offshore oil & gas activities using Super Puma and Dauphin helicopters, and Bond Air Services predominantly services the air ambulance sector, using the EC135. Bond currently operates 41 twin-engined helicopters with provisional orders for a further 15 aircraft.

Based at Fareham in Hampshire, Turbomeca UK is Britain’s leading repair and overhaul facility for the small gas turbines that power helicopters and unmanned aircraft. Turbomeca UK also manufactures complex mechanical components for these turbines and builds complete engine starter systems for larger military jets. Current customers include the UK Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, Microturbo and a growing number of commercial helicopter operators in Britain and Ireland. These typically service offshore oil & gas, police/emergency medical service and corporate/VIP sectors.

Turbomeca (Safran group) is the leading helicopter engine manufacturer, and has produced over 68 000 turbines based on its own designs since the company was founded. Dedicated to 2,350 customers in 155 countries, Turbomeca provides a proximity service thanks to its 16 sites, 26 Maintenance Centers, 24 Repair & Overhaul Centers and 90 Field representatives and Field technicians. Microturbo, the subsidiary of Turbomeca, is the European leader in turbojet engines for missiles, drones and auxiliary power units.

For more information, please visit our Web sites: www.turbomeca.com and www.safran-group.com.