Canada-based CHC Helicopter has received a three-year contract worth £29m from Centrica Energy and Centrica Storage, both part of British integrated energy firm Centrica, to provide an improved helicopter service to meet its operational needs across key oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
Under the contract, which can be extended for additional two years, CHC will operate an AW139 aircraft from HumbersideAirport starting November 2013 to assist Centrica’s offshore activities, including the York and Rough platforms, in the Southern North Sea.
Centrica, as the operator of the fields, currently relocates all flight operations from Yarmouth.
Meanwhile, Centrica Energy will use an aircraft out of Aberdeen to improve scheduling and flexibility of flights to its operated Kittiwake platform in the Northern and Central North Sea.
Apart from maintaining its current base in North Denes, where CHC has already invested £300,000, the deal will help the company to invest more resources in Humberside.
Furthermore, Centrica and CHC have created a combined team to increase flights, improve overall efficiency of service and operate dedicated flights to each of the installations.
Centrica Energy UK and the Netherlands operations director Jim Craig said, "We are pleased to announce this new service with CHC, which will improve helicopter provision across our operations in the Northern, Central and Southern North Sea."