Celebrating a signature a long time in the making, Eurocopter President and CEO Lutz Bertling and William Chiles, President and CEO of Bristow Group, announced the order for 12 EC175s for the global offshore transportation provider during an event on the Eurocopter booth at Heli-Expo 2013.

“We are so excited about the EC175,” said Mr. Chiles. “We have found this aircraft to be so efficient, and it can do the same mission for less cost per seat than any aircraft out there on the market. The safety features and technologies are second to none, and we are going to put the EC175 to good use as soon as possible.”

A world-leading provider of transportation services for the offshore energy industry, the Bristow Group first signed a memorandum of understanding for the EC175 in 2008.

“Bristow is one of the customers that has been there since the beginning of the EC175 and has been a constructive partner in developing its design,” added Bertling. “We are happy to sign for these 12 machines today and appreciate Bristow’s valuable contribution and confidence in our products.”

The no.1 serial production EC175 in oil & gas configuration displayed on the Eurocopter booth is in the Bristow signature paint scheme, marking the debut of the aircraft’s U.S. demo tour that took place at Bristow’s headquarters in New Iberia, Louisiana in late February.

With a recommended cruise speed of 150 kts. and maximum cruise speed in excess of 165 kts., the EC175 is able to transport 16 passengers out to distances of 140 nautical miles, with the range approaching 200 naut. mi. when 12 passengers are carried.  This aircraft has validated its excellent power performance and extensive safety features.  Furthermore, Eurocopter’s Helionix new-generation avionics provides the highest levels of mission flexibility and pilot workload reduction.