Offshore unions will meet Scotland’s transport minister next week as part of their campaign to keep Super Puma helicopters grounded.
A delegation from the Offshore Coordinating Group will meet Humza Yousaf on December 19 at Holyrood.
Union officials claim North Sea workers have “lost all confidence” in Airbus-made Super Pumas and are adamant they should not return to commercial operations.
Super Pumas have not been used for flying workers offshore in the North Sea since one of the aircraft crashed in Norway in April 2016, killing 13 people, including Iain Stuart from Laurencekirk.
Aviation authorities in the UK and Norway lifted a flight ban on Super Pumas in July, though the aircraft cannot return to action until certain modifications have been made.
The decision was criticised by trade unionists, who said Super Pumas should remain grounded until a root cause of last year’s crash has been identified.
A recent survey by Airbus found that 62% of respondents would be unlikely to fly in a Super Puma ever again, given the choice.
In October, several MSPs backed calls from unions for a public inquiry into North Sea helicopter safety at a cross-party debate in Holyrood.
Mr Yousaf said at the time he was prepared to meet those who want an inquiry.
But Mr Yousaf said the lifting of flight restrictions was a matter for aviation regulators, not the Scottish Government.
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