[Note: We run the press release from Bond below verbatim.  However, we have been reporting this since 1st February 2011 – see here!]

Bond Offshore Helicopters, part of the Gloucestershire-based Bond Aviation Group, has won a £50m contract to supply oil and gas company Perenco with two new Agusta Westland AW139 aircrafts.

Bond has been awarded a four-year contract to expand the services it provides to Perenco in the Southern North Sea.

The first of the new aircraft has already been delivered to Bond’s operating base in Norwich and has undergone modifications to prepare it for offshore operations. And the second AW139 was delivered at the end of May and is currently awaiting modification.

Bill Munro, managing director of Bond Offshore Helicopters, said: “This new contract is an important step forward, signalling a good performance so far this year. The introduction of AW139s is the next phase in our fleet development and a springboard for the wider use of AW139s in the UK and internationally. This supports further expansion of our offshore services, fleet size and job creation.”

The introduction of the AW139s brings the Bond Aviation fleet to a total of 42 helicopters and the total number of Bond Aviation Group staff increase to 477.