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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 0315.PDF
BUSINESS AVIATION OFFSHORE Bond readies for North Sea return Competition among North Sea oil- and gas-field support providers will increase next year with the take-off of Bond Offshore Helicopters (BOH). The new company will fly Eurocopter AS332L-2s under a $400 million, 10-year contract from BP Exploration. Bond will provide crew change services for BP from Aberdeen beginning in August 2004 (Flight International, 17-30 December 2002). Brothers Peter and Stephen Bond set up the original Bond Helicopters, which still flies as part of Norway's Helikopter Service within the larger Cana dian CHC Helicopter operation. BP's move ends the CHC Scotia/Bristow duopoly that emerged from the 1990s consoli dation of the North Sea's UK sector. CHC, which also owns British International (formerly British Airways Helicopters), competes with US-owned Bristow Helicopters, part of Offshore Logistics. BP Exploration chose BOH over incumbent CHC Scotia, which received 40% of its business from BP Exploration. During 2002 the contract was worth around $50 million to CHC Scotia, and would have represented about 6% of earnings in 2004-5, says Toronto-based financial analyst Raymond James. The deal may not herald a move to long duration contracts, however. BOH head of commer cial services David Wilson says the use of new helicopters con tributed to BP's decision to place a 10-year contract, compared with the typical five-year agree ments that latterly have replaced previous 24- or 36-month arrangements. The Bond brothers also run the on-shore Bond Air Services operation, which has taken deliv ery of about half of the 15 Eurocopter EC135s it is acquiring for emergency medical services, law enforcement, and other utility operations. MEDICAL ASSISTANCE KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON Business jet prescription peps up China medevac Increase in corporate and tourist traffic leads to market opening with converted Hawker China's first business jet-based med ical evacuation (medevac) service has been launched by medical assis tance services provider International SOS and indigenous business air craft charter operator Deer Jet. The move is designed to take advantage of the increase in business and tourist travel within the region and opens up the Chinese medevac mar ket, says International SOS. The operation, which began last month, uses a mid-size Raytheon Hawker 800XP, reconfigured from an eight-seat passenger charter jet to a "fully equipped air ambu lance". Hainan Airlines subsidiary Deer Jet operates the aircraft from its Beijing base with medical per sonnel and equipment provided by International SOS. Carol Wong, International SOS business development manager, says: "We have in China until now relied on military-operated heli copters. Although they will continue to be available to us, the business jet will be much more flexible as it is faster, and has a longer range and a larger cabin which can carry two stretchers and two medical crew." Wong adds: "With more people travelling to and from China there is a growing demand [from insur ance companies] for a professional and speedy medical assistance ser vice." With its flying base in Bei jing, International SOS says "the whole of China and Asia-Pacific region [including Korea, Pakistan and Mongolia] are guaranteed med ical and transfer services". International SOS provides medevac operations in Geneva, Johannesburg, Moscow, Papua New Guinea, Singapore (where it is head quartered), Stuttgart and Taipei and says its aim is to provide global evac uation services "within 3h". China's medevac service uses a mid-size Raytheon Hawker 800XP DISPOSAL Socata sheds German subsidiary EADS Socata has sold its German subsidiary to a new UK/German joint venture equally owned by Air Touring and Rheinland Air Services. The sale will allow the French air craft manufacturer to focus on the North American market. "The operation of a German sub sidiary no longer matched our mar keting strategy. In North America we have established a strong net work of distributors and achieved significant sales results," Socata says. The Siegerland, Frankfurt-based offshoot was called Rallye Deutsch- land until its takeover by Socata in the 1980s. It has since become the sales and marketing arm for EADS Socata in Germany and Austria and provides product support, mainte nance and parts distribution for Europe's largest manufacturer of piston and turboprop aircraft. Biggin Hill-based Air Touring, parent of Socata distributor for UK and Ireland Air Touring Services, will be responsible for the sales and marketing of the rebranded Socata Deutschland. Diisseldorf-headquar- tered fixed-base operator Rhein land will handle administration and finance for the new company. "Through the purchase of Socata we have expanded our sales region and spread our [investment] risk. As the market in one country comes down, another goes up. The deal will also give us more buying power with the factory in [Tarbes] France," says Air Touring managing director, Michael Pearce. This influence with EADS Socata could be used in the coming year as Air Touring subsidiary Air Touring Management (ATM) ramps up its European fractional leasing opera tion. "We began operations last year and took delivery of the first two TBM700s last month," says ATM managing director Al Tahry. The company is planning to take delivery of two more aircraft by the end of May. "Turboprops have bec ome a serious business tool as they are cost-effective, safe and flexible. The single-engined TBM700 covers a l,500nm [2,775km] radius which makes it an ideal aircraft for a leas ing programme," Pearce adds. Under the Biggin Hill-based scheme, customers lease the aircraft for a minimum of 60 days or 120h a year for around £8,000 ($13,000). On top of this, customers provide and pay for pilotage, fuel "and other variable costs", says Tahry. 24 11-17 FEBRUARY 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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