Airbus Helicopters has recently completed a first round of firing tests using with a variant of the Super Puma helicopters grounded following the latest fatal crash involving the troubled copter.
Union organisation Offshore Coordinating Group said offshore workers remained concerned about any resumption of flights of the Airbus Super Puma H225, following the Norwegian authorities decision to ban all flights, including search and rescue missions.
Airbus Helicopters has responded to claims that it was ruling out "any of the scenarios" put forward by the Air Investigation Branch Norway (AIBN) into the cause of a North Sea helicopter crash which killed 13 people in April.
Statoil has said it is ready to begin its own investigation into the North Sea helicopter crash that killed 13 people.
A huge and emotional outpouring of distressed and angry emails have been received by the leading offshore workers’ trade union RMT since a fatal helicopter crash in Norway killed 13 people last month.
The UK and Norwegian Civil Aviation Authorities have extended the flying ban to other Airbus helicopters following last month's North Sea helicopter crash which claimed the lives 13 people.
The Offshore Safety Awards ceremony has been postponed following the North Sea helicopter crash which claimed 13 lives.
Airbus Helicopters, the manufacturer of the EC-225LP helicopter that crashed in Norway last week, killing all 13 people on board, has sent an advisory to all customers using the same Airbus model to inspect the suspension bars and fittings of the main rotor.
The oil-rig helicopter that crashed in Norway, killing 13 people, gave no Mayday call or indicated it was in trouble, a Norwegian investigator has confirmed.
Safety training firm Falck is working together with Airbus Helicopters to help heighten safety in North Sea helicopter operations.
Extra safety checks are being carried out on North Sea helicopters after a potential problem with their life rafts was detected. Manufacturer Airbus Helicopters said yesterday about 25 of the Super Puma EC225LP aircraft were affected globally, including about six in UK offshore oil and gas operations. A spokesman for the firm said a routine inspection of an EC225LP had revealed an issue with its life raft mechanism, leading to a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) emergency air worthiness directive.
More strides are being made to make North Sea commuting safer for passengers and pilots alike.
Airbus has unveiled its latest model targeting the offshore oil and gas sector. The European helicopter firm launched its X6 at the Paris Air Show today.
The ditching of two Super Puma helicopters in the North Sea in 2012 was the start of what its makers now call the ‘shaft crisis’, writes Erikka Askeland When Andrew Dettl accepted the mission to come to Aberdeen three years ago, there had only been one, non-fatal, ditching of an EC225 “Super Puma” that year. But a few months later there was a second, similar event which grounded the operators of all the Airbus-made helicopters in the North Sea pending investigation. Mr Dettl had initially been sent from helicopter headquarters in Marignane to improve the “availability” of the EC225 by revamping its Aberdeen-based parts and services operation. Deemed able to manage in a “complex environment”, Mr Dettl had his work cut out for him.