Danish operator Bel Air has taken delivery of an additional AW139 helicopter, which will enhance its offering in offshore transport to North Sea oil and gas installations. The aircraft is able to accommodate up to 15 passengers and will perform long range offshore flights in addition to wind turbine support. Set for EASA certification in the coming months, the AW139 will join Bel Air's fleet as part of the company's expansion plan to run six helicopters of this type.
So far the AW139s operated by Bel Air have been delivering exceptional availability and reliability, with more than 8,000 airborne hours flown since 2009 and more than 640 airborne hours last month. These were logged by a total of four aircraft with a maximum of 192 airborne hours on one aircraft. Since starting up offshore operations with the AW139, Bel Air has achieved 99.6 per cent on-time flight schedule and performed more than 26,000 landings.