Soaring High in the North Sea

The offshore energy market has always been a dynamic and resilient sector, constantly adapting to the ever-changing demands of the global energy landscape. Amidst these shifts, helicopter services have continuously played an essential role in supporting the industry’s long-term vitality and success.

Demand for such services are on the rise worldwide. Competition to secure lift is fierce.

The North Sea market today is a prime example. Our contracted schedules are packed and we are providing additional ad hoc flights week-in week-out, fuelled by growing activity for both oil and gas and renewables projects.

With the UK government announcing hundreds of new licences for exploration rounds, and nine European nations committing to boost the current capacity of offshore wind by eight times before 2050, the market here is showing no signs of slowing down.

In order to navigate the market effectively, collaborative engagements and planning between customers and helicopter operators is crucial.

Over recent months, we have engaged in open and constructive dialogues with our customers in the North Sea to respond to the dynamics of the market today, and prepare for tomorrow. By focusing on forging long-term strategic alliances, we have been able to identify numerous ways to enable positive change for all our stakeholders.

One example has been ensuring we have the right mix of aircraft available. To that end, we have added new, modern helicopters to our fleet that are not only optimised for operational excellence and safety, but also equipped with the latest technologies to deliver the carbon-efficiency gains for our customers. Our ClearSkies flight planning software, forged in partnership with our customers, stands as an emblem of progress and underpins our shared commitment to a greener future.

Diversifying our fleet and equipping it with the latest technology ensures our gold standard of performance is maintained, whilst also providing backup options to deliver uninterrupted services in the face of unforeseen challenges – something we know our customers value highly.

Aircraft alone, however, do not guarantee results. Underpinning our dedication to providing customers with the highest quality of service are our people.

As one the world’s largest helicopter operators, we are able to attract highly experienced pilots and engineers with decades of knowledge and expertise, capable of responding with agility to the North Sea's ever-shifting tides. We are proud to have some of the best-in-class talent in the world operating out of our bases here in the UK.

We are also looking ahead, embracing the dawn of fresh talent through our apprenticeship programmes. In Aberdeen for example, we recently onboarded a new cohort trainees; the focus with who is to ensure the seamless transfer of knowledge gained over 75 year of operations to uphold our standards of safety, operational excellence, and technological advancement.

Taken together, this translates to a reliable and capable workforce our customers can rely on.

Moreover, we have identified ways to optimise our operational efficiency further still. We recently brought all of our team in Scotland under one roof at our operational base. The move was designed to foster greater collaboration within the company and with our customers, and also to reduce our carbon footprint, placing responsiveness and sustainability at the heart of everything we do.

As we continue to chart a course towards an even brighter and more sustainable future, we are committed to forging strategic alliances that bring fresh perspectives and novel approaches to successfully tackle the intricacies of offshore operations.

If you would like to be involved in enriching the industry's capacity to evolve and adapt, reach out.  Let's script a story of unity, innovation, and enduring success.