HI Uplift: Avincis finds fresh wind in Denmark

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by Mike Stones

10 April 2026

Avincis is focusing on the full integration of KN Helicopters within its business.

“Wind power: the way forward is to collaborate with nature – it’s the only way we are going to get to the other end of the 21st century.” Icelandic pop legend Björk is an unlikely source of advice for the civil helicopter industry. But her words have deeper resonance after the shock to energy prices sparked by conflict in the Persian Gulf.

While a mix of energy sources seems to offer the best path to energy security, renewables are enjoying renewed interest. So now is a good time to check in with Simon Tye, chief commercial officer, with emergency services operator Avincis, which acquired KN Helicopters six months ago.

Established in 2013, KN Helicopters focuses on rotary solutions to the green energy sector mainly in the Danish market. Services include helicopter transport crew changes to offshore installations and vessels, hoist operations to wind turbines and vessels, inspections and audits of infrastructure and helicopter external sling load operations. The business also operates VIP flights, maintenance services at its Part-145 maintenance workshop and pilot training.

The Danish operator’s fleet includes three Airbus H135s and one Airbus H145. They have joined Avincis’ fleet of more than 60 Airbus helicopters. Avincis operates about 210 aircraft – including about 170 helicopters and 40 fixed-wing assets – flown and supported by a workforce of about 2,500 staff. KN Helicopters’ CEO Niels Peter Kjeldahl continues to lead the business based in the central coastal city of Esbjerg.

‘Investment from governments’

So, what was the attraction of KN Helicopters? The story starts last spring, after detailed analysis of the offshore wind market. There was, the company concluded, significant room for expansion. The scale of that growth became clear this year with the continuing war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Persian Gulf sending energy prices rocketing. “I don’t think we saw exactly how big the wind farm market was going to be, because obviously there were political events that precipitated a lot of investment from governments around Europe,” Tye tells us.

Many European countries have issued offshore wind tenders and contracts or signalled interest in doing so this year. Germany is looking to secure 70 gigawatts (GW) from offshore wind by 2045 and The Netherlands is aiming for 21GW by 2030, says Avincis. Also France revealed this month it’s looking for 10GW from offshore wind across multiple projects. Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Norway and Poland have all expressed interest in developing renewable energy from offshore wind platforms.

Then, there’s the UK. In February the UK government revealed an 8.4GW offshore wind auction, which included plans to build one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms in the outer Firth of Forth off Scotland’s east coast. Together, the projects are expected to unlock £22bn in private investment and support about 7,000 jobs.

Worldwide capacity

Worldwide installed capacity totals about 83GW, supplying alternative electricity to 73 million households, according to the 2025 Global Offshore Wind Report. It forecasts compound annual growth for offshore wind energy of up to 28% in the years up to 2029 and 15% up to 2034. Annual global offshore wind yearly capacity additions will exceed 30GW by 2030 and 50GW by 2033.

So, what’s driving the push to offshore wind energy – an appetite for clean fuel, energy security or (for some) its profit potential? Avincis invested in KN Helicopter because it saw a strong profit opportunity, says Tye. But European governments are drawn by the twin lures of clean power and energy security. Here’s a (remarkably prescient) statement from the UK government earlier this year before the latest Gulf War: “In an increasingly unstable world, by accelerating investment in homegrown clean power, the government is also reducing the UK’s exposure to volatile global fossil fuel markets, which have contributed to half of all recessions since the 1970s and in 2025 alone, saw prices spike over 15% within a week due to global price shocks after global instability in the Middle East.”

What attracted Avincis to KN Helicopters was its corporate character and reputation. “We were very much taken by the culture of the company and how they are held in high esteem by the industry in general,” says Tye. KN’s approach to working in partnership with the clients impressed Tye and his senior executive colleagues.

‘An exciting future’

Speaking after the acquisition, John Boag, group CEO, Avincis, said: “We believe KN Helicopters has enormous potential and a great culture. Adding it to our portfolio will give us another lever for securing the long-term, sustainable growth of our business.” Commenting on the potential for market growth, he added: “Offshore wind energy has an exciting future, and we are looking forward to supporting wind farm owners in Denmark with the same dedicated helicopter services we have been providing in other global markets for 60 years.”

Avincis had long considered slow organic growth into the wind market. But the opportunity to acquire the Danish operator for an undisclosed sum offered a clean and (relatively) quick way to establish a presence in the European market. Key clients include major wind farm owners and operators such as Vattenfall and Siemens. Not only does the acquisition represent another revenue stream in a growing market sited in a new geography, it also offers less obvious benefits. One is the opportunity to train pilots and aircrew.

Tye knows from his own experience as a newbie Sikorsky S-61 pilot the value of training in different environments. “It’s a very good environment to gain experience, not for ab initio pilots but those who are not yet experienced to go into either search and rescue or HEMS [helicopter emergency medical services] missions which have extremely high pilot experience requirements,” says Tye. “Plus, flying winch missions – a unique skill set – is pretty much common practice within a lot of HEMS contracts in some of the jurisdictions and geographies that we operate.”

‘Hostile environments’

Once crews have honed their skills working together in a winching scenario, they could decide to move on to HEMS. “This is the next stage, which is very dynamic, you have to think on your feet, and you’re operating in some pretty hostile environments,” he says. It’s a strategy that helps the company secure a strong pipeline of aircrew and the airframe and powerplant technicians to support them.

The integration of the two companies is going well, reports Tye. “KN Helicopter’s culture is very similar to ours, that’s why the acquisition was so appealing,” he says. But it takes time to integrate different and complex systems such as the aircraft maintenance information system Gannet and the flight operations system Air Maestro for the company’s H135s, H145s and other aircraft. By the end of this year Tye plans to complete safe and full integration of the two companies plus detailed plans for clients drawing on “the same ethos that KN has developed successfully over many years”.

Meanwhile, for more wisdom from the Icelandic pop icon – such as “I am a whisper in water” – visit Björk’s YouTube platform. For more insights on wind energy and emergency helicopter services from Avincis, make a date to attend our Helicopter Investor London 2026 conference between June 16th-17th.

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