CHC Helicopter Corporation says it will deploy an EC225 to service a new contract from Total E&P Norge for helicopter services from Stavanger and Kristiansund in Norway.

A CHC spokesman says: "This will be the first deployment of the EC225 in Norway. The contract, which starts in 2008, is for three years, plus three two-year options, and is anticipated to generate incremental revenue of approximately Canadian $9 million per year."

CHC says it is the world's largest provider of helicopter services to the global offshore oil and gas industry, with aircraft operating in more than 30 countries.

Separately president and ceo Sylvain Allard says CHC is saddened by a tragic accident on 27 December in the North Sea off the west coast of England when an AS365N that had taken off from Blackpool to pick up gas rig workers crashed. The AS365N had stopped to pick up passengers at two rigs and was 500 metres short of a third platform when it ditched. Two crew and five passengers died. Centrica, which works the Morecambe Bay gas fields, pledged maximum support for families and friends and colleagues of the workers who died.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the Department for Transport says: "The conclusion of the preliminary examination is that there are no signs of pre-impact malfunction of any major mechanical components."

It adds: "A review of the recorded data to date has not indicated any problems of a technical nature and no helicopter manoeuvres have been identified which were not in response to flight control inputs."

The AAIB's further detailed investigation focuses on operational aspects as well as recorded data and evidence from the wreckage.