The following press release was released by Bristow Group today, following publication of the UK Government press release. However, HeliHub.com was the first aviation press outlet in the world to release this story – five days ago – here.

Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: BRS), a leading provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry, announced today that The Department for Transport in the U.K. has awarded Bristow Helicopters Ltd. the contract to provide Search and Rescue (SAR) services in the North of Scotland.

Bristow Helicopters Ltd. will provide SAR services starting July 2013, using four Sikorsky S-92 helicopters based in the Scottish bases of Stornoway and Sumburgh.  The contract is expected to run for four years, until a longer term decision for such services is taken.

William E. Chiles, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are delighted that our affiliate Bristow Helicopters Ltd. will work again with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to provide this vital service from the Scottish islands.  This award will place four of our large new-technology aircraft under contract with an important client.  Bristow Helicopters Ltd. has an excellent reputation for faultless execution of search and rescue operations, which was developed in the UK between 1971 and 2007 with 11,500 missions.  Affiliates of Bristow also currently operate search and rescue services in Norway, the Netherlands, and Trinidad. We also look forward to Bristow Helicopters Ltd. participating in the recently announced UK SAR bid for ten bases in 2012.”

ABOUT BRISTOW GROUP INC.
Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: BRS) is the leading provider of helicopter services to the worldwide offshore energy industry based on the number of aircraft operated and one of two helicopter service providers to the offshore energy industry with global operations.  The Company has major transportation operations in the North Sea, Nigeria and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Alaska, Australia, Brazil, Russia and Trinidad.  For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.bristowgroup.com.