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Eastern Airways pitches in as former owner Bristow wins BP North Sea contract

Five year deal will see Kirmington airline provide fixed wing support

Eastern Airways tail fin(Image: Eastern Airways)

Under pressure helicopter operator Bristow has secured a major º£½ÇÊÓÆµ deal with oil giant BP, reuniting it with Humberside’s Eastern Airways - the fixed wing business it has just sold.

A five year contract has been awarded for North Sea operations, creating new jobs in Aberdeen and Shetland.

The company said existing Sikorsky S92 helicopters will be deployed, combined with fixed wing support from Eastern.

As the US parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankrputcy protection, Bristow sold the 22-year-old airline back to founder Richard Lake OBE.

Bristow has retained Humberside Airport following the sale of Eastern Airways.(Image: Bristow Group)

Confidence in the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ arm of the Houston firm will be a major confidence booster, with it, the ownership of Humberside Airport, and the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ Coastguard search and rescue operations immune from the US actions.

Having been hit by a slump in the oil and gas market, Bristow was found to be in breach of leases after helicopters and their engines were interchanged. Such was the extent of the problem, it was unable to file its fourth quarter results from 2018, and still hasn’t, which led to it being in breach of NYSE rules. The share price then bottomed out, putting it in further breach of Wall Street regulations.

The new deal with BP is described as a “fully integrated aviation solution,” ensuring workers are moved around the operations efficiently, between º£½ÇÊÓÆµ mainland, Shetland and the North Sea rigs. Only announced now, the contract actually began as in the US pressure reached a climax and the court action was taken, in Texas.

New pilot and crew positions are being created.