Two new Sikorsky S92 helicopters were registered in the UK yesterday to Bristow Helicopters – G-CHKI (serial 920175) and G-CHMJ (920176).  The pair arrived in the UK by airfreight to Prestwick Airport on Sunday in an Antonov An124 freighter, with G-CHMJ making the 180 mile flight to Aberdeen yesterday and G-CHKI expected to follow today.  This brings Bristow’s S92 fleet in the UK to 11.

These will be most welcome as North Sea support aircraft while the Eurocopter EC225 situation continues.  Industry sources tell us that these two – and a third which arrived two weeks back – have been diverted to the UK at least temporarily, with two having been previously earmarked for work in Nigeria and one in the Gulf of Mexico.

Some oil companies have even resorted to transferring workers by sea to and from rigs due to the lack of capacity forced by the lack of capacity.  We are clearly heading towards times where the offshore operators will need to demonstrate to the oil companies that they have a sufficient mix of aircraft types that they are not caught out in the same way they are right now with the EC225 situation.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com