Heli-One makes key announcements at Heli-Expo

Heli-One Press Release | March 7, 2017

Estimated reading time 5 minutes, 49 seconds.

Heli-One, a leading global provider of helicopter maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, announced two exciting developments at HAI Heli-Expo on March 7.

Letter of intent with Helijet

Heli-One announced the signing of a letter of intent with Helijet International to provide fleet upgrade helicopter services utilizing Sikorsky S-76C+ aircraft.

Helijet has utilized the S-76 as a scheduled transport helicopter serving the Vancouver-Victoria route. Ken Swartz Photo
As part of the agreement, up to six Sikorsky S-76C+ aircraft will be supplied and custom-completed for Helijet. Heli-One will provide maintenance support for these aircraft over the next five years including PBH coverage for main gearboxes and power plants, in addition to supplying consignment spares as required.

The newer aircraft will modernize Helijet’s Sikorsky S-76 fleet, further enhancing operational capability, performance, and high safety standards. The new terms of arrangement also leverage the proximity of Heli-One’s engineering location to Helijet — facilitating faster turnaround times and minimizing aircraft downtime.

Based in Richmond, B.C., Helijet International is the world’s largest helicopter airline, flying more than 300 weekly flights to city destinations in B.C.

Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Heliport Services, Helijet also manages and operates three Transport Canada certified heliports, affording seamless city-to-city air transport to more than 2.2 million passengers to date. Helijet operates both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including Airbus AS350, Sikorsky S-76, Bell 206L3, Learjet 31A and Hawker 800A.

This helicopter supply and support arrangement is through Heli-One Total Solutions, which enables operators to combine leasing and maintenance service contracts through a single provider with predictable invoicing.

This provides operators with a single and consistent point of contact for both leasing and support services facilitating faster communication and improving service efficiency.

“Helijet selected Heli-One’s proposal for the complete supply and support of Sikorsky helicopters based on their industry-leading reputation and commitment to meeting all of Helijet’s operating and financial requirements,” said Daniel Sitnam, president and CEO of Helijet. “We look forward to further solidifying the details towards a long-standing business relationship with a world-class aviation engineering firm.”

Heli-One Canada is an approved Sikorsky S-76 service centre with on-site gearbox testing facilities. The team has extensive experience supporting the S-76 (including variants A, B and C) with capability for nose-to-tail PBH coverage including airframes, components, engines and avionics. In addition, Heli-One has developed more than 400 post-delivery modifications and proprietary in-house repairs. These effective and quality solutions are designed to save cost and minimize downtime for customers.

“We are pleased to help Helijet expand their fleet of S-76 aircraft and provide ongoing support for their program,” said Anthony DiNota, president, Heli-One. “Helijet’s team is well- experienced in this durable helicopter model and we look forward to expanding value through knowledge sharing and close partnership. Our facilities’ close proximities and shared regional pride make this a particularly special partnership. As an approved service centre with a wealth of post-delivery modification experience, the Heli-One team looks forward to supporting Helijet and optimizing the operational potential of their fleet.

Poland facility adds capability for AW139

Heli-One also announced that its Rzeszow, Poland facility has added capability for the Leonardo AW139 second generation exhaust duct repair.

This new capability at Heli-One Poland is said to give AW139 operators a quick and economical repair option for exhaust ducts. Leonardo Photo
This proprietary repair can be performed in within 30 days and is a more affordable option for customers than replacement.

Prior to the availability of this repair, operators’ only option was to replace the entire duct. Heli-One became the first MRO provider to develop this quick and cost-saving proprietary repair in response to increasing customer demands. Heli-One has performed more than 300 exhaust duct repairs since introducing this capability.

Heli-One Poland has grown its AW139 capabilities since opening in 2014 and now includes base maintenance and first generation exhaust duct repair. It is strategically located in Poland’s “Aviation Valley.”

The facility has European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) approval; and is an economical MRO option with competitive turnaround times. The 65,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility has a maintenance hangar capable of accommodating up to six large airframes, a fully equipped avionics workshop, a structure shop with a specialized tail boom repair area, and a dedicated paint bay.

“This new capability at Heli-One Poland gives AW139 operators a quick and economical repair option for exhaust ducts – saving time and money relative to part replacement,” said Anthony DiNota, president, Heli-One.

“Our Poland team continues to expand its MRO services, becoming a destination for customers’ AW139 needs. Heli-One Poland’s prime location, economic advantage and state-of-the-art facility, combined with our continually improving maintenance and component capabilities positions our team as a select choice for operators.”

The repair process has been developed for the following aircraft part numbers:

Second generation exhaust ducts: