Two AW139 helicopters have arrived in Karratha, Western Australia, where they will soon commence operations for Babcock Australasia on behalf of an oil and gas customer. Babcock transitioned the aircraft from Aberdeen in the UK, and both are on lease deals from Lease Corporation International (LCI). LCI now has 14 AW139s based in Australia, 10 of which are dedicated to HEMS. Babcock flies six of them for Air Ambulance Victoria, while two are used by Babcock Australasia for offshore missions.

LCI executive chairman Crispin Maunder comments: “Australia is a dynamic market with huge long term potential across a range of operating sectors, and has been a major commercial priority for LCI since we entered the helicopter leasing market in 2012. We are delighted to be supporting the growth of Babcock's helicopter operations in Australia.”

LCI has been steadily increasing its presence in the wider Asia Pacific region, which now accounts for over 40 per cent of its fleet. In the past 12 months, LCI commenced its first leases in China for three new AW139s to EMS operator Shanghai Kingwing, expanded the number of aircraft it has in operation with longstanding Malaysian customer Weststar and has grown its regional executive team with the appointment of Chris Lloyd as VP of marketing, John Gumulak as technical director and Lan Cao as its Beijing-based China representative.

Maunder continues: “Asia Pacific is a diverse and fast-growing region for helicopter leasing, and one in which we will continue to increase our presence over the next five years.”