Bond Helicopters has signed a five year contract with Anglo-French oil and gas company Perenco for five AW139 helicopters, including two seven tonne variants, to operate in support of its southern North Sea operations from Norwich airport in the UK.

Operations are due to start in January 2024 for one of the largest contracts in the North Sea. This will see Bond Helicopters, which has a track record of more than 50 years’ experience in supporting offshore and onshore helicopter operations, delivering a service that will include flight operations, maintenance and passenger handling. The helicopters will be painted in the company’s distinctive red livery, which is familiar to the industry.

Bond was founded in 1961 and first entered the offshore helicopter market around 1972. By the late 1990s, the company operated a fleet of over 200 helicopters. In 1994 it merged with Norway’s Helikopter Service Group, which was bought out by CHC Scotia in 1999 and which in turn became part of Avincis Group from 2011. Bond Offshore Helicopters was formed in 2001 to support North Sea oil and gas crew replacement from Aberdeen airport. In May 2014, Avincis was bought by Babcock International, and Bond Offshore was rebranded as Babcock Mission Critical Services in April 2016.

Executive chairman Peter Bond says: “Firstly, we are very proud to be returning to the offshore industry, and I am thrilled to be personally leading the delivery of our service for this cornerstone contract, which will provide significant stability for staff as well as providing the platform for further growth.

“As a company, we believe there are further opportunities to be realised in both the offshore and onshore markets, where a UK-headquartered company combined with a return to the Bond philosophy of regular communication, quick decision-making and decisive action, provides the ingredients to successfully differentiate ourselves and remain agile in responding to customers’ needs in a fluid environment.”

Bond Helicopters will be supported by Gama Aviation in a JV agreement that is aligned to both parties' strategic objectives of capturing and growing profitable market share in onshore and offshore rotary markets.