Safety checks have been ordered on Super Puma helicopters after it was warned cabin doors could jam shut in an emergency.
The airworthiness directive, issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), was given for the Airbus AS332 and EC225 aircraft.
Operators will now have to carry out an inspection within three months for aircraft more than a year old and within the next 15 months for more recent models.
EASA said any problem found must be corrected before the next flight.
The directive said: “This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to jamming of the door jettisoning mechanism, possibly preventing jettisoning of the affected door in an emergency situation and obstructing the safe evacuation of occupants.”
It is thought the doors have been caused the jam, rather than stretch, because of “significant corrosion damage” from undrained water.
The aircraft manufacturer said the directive followed its own safety bulleting and reflected a proactive approach to safety.
An Airbus Helicopter spokesman said: “As part of good management and continuous improvement practices, and as part of continued airworthiness, Airbus Helicopters will issue Alert Service Bulletins.
“This is a proactive approach to maintaining the highest safety standards in our helicopters.”
The EC 225 was temporarily grounded after two ditchings off Aberdeen and Shetland in 2012.
Sixteen people died in 2009 when the same model plunged into the sea off the Aberdeenshire coast while returning from a BP platform.
A spokesman for the British Airline Pilots Association said: “The Airworthiness Directive has been issued as a result of an unusual failure of an aircraft to pass the jettison test and is intended to ensure that there is not a wider problem throughout the fleet by a special inspection of the jettison system.
“The jettison test is carried out on a flying hour basis and most aircraft in regular use will have it done about twice a year.
“The directive will ensure that any aircraft not in regular use is inspected within a reasonably short timescale of three months before any excessive corrosion can develop.”
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