Health & Safety Report 2017

4.2 Current Helicopter Types At the end of 2016, the UKCS helicopter fleet numbered 96 aircraft (31 suspended) and comprised a mix of airframe types. The increase by ten airframes since 2015 is due to a greater number of Sikorsky S92, AH175 and AW189 helicopter types being introduced following the suspension of Super Pumas (H225 and AS332L2) in May 2016 (by CAA Safety Directive) in the aftermath of a fatal accident in Norway in April 2016. Oil & Gas UK set up a helicopter resilience group to determine how helicopter logistics should continue being managed on the UKCS with a revised fleet structure and to help members safely transfer the workforce on and offshore.

Figure 19: Current Helicopter Types used for UK Continental Shelf Offshore Oil and Gas Support

Type

Weight Class

Introduced

In Fleet

4

Leonardo AW139

Medium

2005

19

Airbus AS365N3 (Dauphin)

Medium

1979

2

Airbus H155 Airbus H175

Medium Medium

2007 2016 2014

2 2 3

Leonardo AW189 Airbus AS332L2 (Super Puma) Airbus H225 (Super Puma 2)

Heavy

Heavy

Pre-2005

6*

Heavy

2005

25*

Sikorsky S92

Heavy

2005

37

* Flights suspended in 2016

Since 2001, only heavy and medium twin-engine helicopters have been used for commercial air transport on the UKCS. This is because two-pilot, light, helicopter operations generally don’t have sufficient range or payload to meet contemporary offshore commercial requirements. It is also important to make a distinction between heavy and medium twin-engine helicopter operations. As a rule, heavy twins (such as AW189, AS332L2, H225 and S92) operate mainly out of Aberdeen or Scatsta and generally fly sectors with longer flight times. Medium twins (such as AS365N3, H155, H175 and AW139) fly mainly out of regional heliports (that is Blackpool, Humberside and Norwich) and these aircraft record a higher number of sectors with relatively short flight times.

29