DanCopter, launched in 2003 to meet the demand of Denmark's oil and gas companies, will boost its fleet in 2009 with the delivery of two further EC155s as it services an expanding client base in Europe.

"Regarding new business in 2008, we have signed a contract with HydroStatoil for one EC155 B1 helicopter," says md Nils Skeby. "The duration of this contract is approximately four months starting end of April or beginning of May. The helicopter will be based in Donegal for the whole period."

Skeby says the EC155 is exactly the right size for his requirements: "In addition we have three EC155s to cover operations at our bases in Esbjerg, Denmark and Den Helder, the Netherlands."

Because of the fast pace of operations, the oldest EC155, which entered service in the summer of 2003, passed the milestone of 6,000 flight hours on 23 November 2007. "Our helicopters spend between 140 and 170 hours in the air every month, day and night," says Skeby. "One of our helicopters even chalked up a record 183.7 flight hours in a month, an average of over six hours a day."

DanCopter's maintenance department has responded by splitting the 600 hours technical inspection into different segments so as to ground the EC155s for the shortest possible time.

Head of maintenance Arne Lange says: "We divided the inspection into six separate tasks which we were able to carry out from Friday evening to Monday morning. The interruptions were minimal and we were very agreeably surprised to discover not a single trace of corrosion after several years of offshore operations."

Skeby says the EC155's flight characteristics are appreciated by both pilots and passengers. "Both groups tell me that the EC155 feels like an airliner," says Skeby. "It is a very stable and quiet aircraft with a low vibration level. The standard of comfort always comes as a surprise to people who are used to flying the previous generation of helicopters."

But Skeby says the growing popularity and customer base of the EC155 means there is a longer wait for parts. "We have to wait our turn to get the parts and technical assistance that we need."