Bristow is awarded new SAR contract in UK

A Sikorsky S-92 helicopter in flight.

Bristow Group has announced that The UK Department for Transport has awarded Bristow Helicopters the contract to provide search and rescue (SAR) services in the North of Scotland.

Bristow Helicopters 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 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 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 participating in the recently announced UK SAR bid for ten bases in 2012,”  Childs added.