Offshore helicopter operators resumed flights of nine Super Pumas yesterday as a probe into a ditching incident continued.
The move followed a collective decision by the industry to put aircraft which are not fitted with the problematic gearbox component involved in Monday’s emergency back in service.
Seventeen oil workers and two crew were rescued after a Super Puma EC225 had to land on the sea en route from Aberdeen to a rig 86 miles from Shetland.
Operator CHC Helicopters, along with Bristow and Bond, suspended Super Pumas prior to a restriction order imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday.
Hundreds of workers remain stranded offshore, with many on shore also awaiting transport. Union leaders believe it will be several weeks before any decision is reached on airworthiness of the EC225.
A spokeswoman for CHC Helicopters said six L2-model Super Pumas were now back in service, while Bond said two of the same type had also resumed operations. It is understood that Bristow also has one in action. Oil and Gas UK operations director Paul Dymond said 25 aircraft remain unavailable, however.
He added: “This is a significant proportion of the offshore fleet.
“Naturally the knock-on effects of this are delays and backlogs of flights with considerable inconvenience to the workforce and the potential to impact offshore operations.
“Therefore as an industry it is important that we can work together to ensure we can continue to operate offshore safely and minimise disruption as far as possible.”
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