Equinor awards two new $430m crew transport contracts

Oil and gas giant Equinor has awarded two new crew transfer contracts from Bergen to its North Sea production installations. The contract winners are CHC Helikopter Service and Lufttransport.

With an estimated total value of NOK 4.3bn ($430m), including options, the contracts will run between early May 2026 and December 31st, 2028 with the possibility of extension until the end of 2030.

Five helicopters will be deployed by the two operators serving installations such as Troll, Gullfaks, Oseberg, Martin Linge, Statfjord, Kvitebjørn and Valemon.

CHC will operate three Sikorsky S-92 helicopters while Lufttransport will operate two aircraft. Two CHC aircraft are already under contract with Equinor and will be relocated from Sola to Bergen. In addition, CHC will add one more S-92 helicopter – also currently flying on the Norwegian continental shelf – to the Bergen base.

Lufttransport will operate two AW139 helicopters, which will later be replaced by two new AW189 helicopters, scheduled for delivery in 2027.

“The safety of everyone traveling to and from offshore work is always our highest priority,” said Ørjan Kvelvane, head of Operations Support at Equinor. “CHC and Lufttransport are experienced operators we already work with, and they know the crew transportation service and safety requirements on the Norwegian continental shelf. With these contracts, Equinor’s helicopter base in Bergen will have a safe and robust solution.”

Equinor said it is working with the operators to plan a safe and efficient start-up. “We have been in dialogue for some time, and they have been able to start early with planning and secure phasing-in,” added Kvelvane. “Both operators have already made good progress in hiring pilots and technicians with relevant experience.”

Training programmes are approved by the Civil Aviation Authority Norway, according to the energy producer. The operators have conducted various flights to installations, including with AW139 aircraft.

Equinor said it would complete a series of verifications as standard procedure before the start of all new contracts. These include: checks of resources, facilities, approvals, manuals, personnel, helicopter equipment, health, safety and environmental (HSE) work, IT security, and physical security.