Angolan carrier, SonAir (SOR), Africa’s largest oil and gas helicopter operator, has become the first operator to resume passenger transportation flights with the suspended Eurocopter Super Puma EC225 fleet. Three flights were performed successfully with two EC225s from Luanda to two offshore platforms. |
| Super Puma in Angola |
Super Puma EC225s were grounded in the wake of two incidents off Aberdeen and Shetland last year. However, earlier in July, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it had approved a proposed gear box technical solution from manufacturer Eurocopter paving the way for flights to resume.
“The three flights were routine, confirming that the EC225’s service restart is backed by strong safety measures that give confidence to our clients,” said said João Andrade, SonAir’s Chairman and CEO.
SonAir has a total of 11 EC225s located at its Luanda, Angola operating base, of which nine are dedicated to crew-change missions for offshore oil and gas platforms. SonAir’s Eurocopter fleet of aircraft also includes four AS332 L2 and three AS365 N3 helicopters.
The EC225 is an 11-ton-class rotorcraft in Eurocopter’s Super Puma family. With more than 300,000 flight hours logged in service worldwide to date, it is deployed in civil, military and parapublic operations that range from offshore transportation and cargo airlift to search and rescue (SAR) duties.
The EC225 is an 11-ton-class rotorcraft in Eurocopter’s Super Puma family. With more than 300,000 flight hours logged in service worldwide to date, it is deployed in civil, military and parapublic operations that range from offshore transportation and cargo airlift to search and rescue (SAR) duties.
