News
Airbus Helicopters delivers first two EC175s
December 11, 2014 By Carey Fredericks
Dec. 11, 2014, Marignane, Fra. - A double-handover ceremony on Dec. 11 marked Airbus Helicopters’ first deliveries of its new-generation EC175, with two of these 7-metric-ton category rotorcraft provided to NHV for oil and gas missions in the North Sea.
The milestone EC175s will be utilized on core applications for which Airbus Helicopters developed this medium-sized rotorcraft: the airlift of crews and supplies to oil and gas platforms at sea, along with search and rescue in support of such off-shore operations.
Airbus Helicopters designed the EC175 to meet evolving mission needs in the oil and gas industry, offering outstanding performance and unmatched cost efficiency – with the capability of carrying a full payload to 90 percent of the North Sea’s offshore installations.
“Today is a very special day for all of us. The delivery of this first EC175 is indeed a key milestone for NHV, for our customer community and for our company”, said Airbus Helicopters President Guillaume Faury.
A total of 16 EC175s have been ordered by NHV in its strategy of owning a young, modern fleet. NHV will begin EC175 service this month from the Dutch North Sea base of Den Helder.
“We are proud to be the EC175’s first operator, continuing a long partnership with Airbus Helicopters that began in 1997 with a Dauphin rotorcraft, and which now includes Super Puma AS332 L2, EC155 B1 and EC145 helicopters,” explained Eric Van Hal, the CEO of NHV.
“Our EC175s are joining an industry-leading fleet of Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft that was expanded through the announcement of our merger this year with Blueway.”
The EC175 is certified to the latest airworthiness standards, covering both the helicopter and its new Helionix® avionics suite – providing increased safety through reduced pilot workload, enhanced situational awareness, improved flight envelope protection and system redundancy.
Powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada’s latest PT6 turboshaft engine version – the PT6-C67E, which was developed specifically for this helicopter – the EC175 has become the industry’s benchmark medium-sized twin-engine rotorcraft across a full range of missions, including airlift duties in oil and gas operators, search and rescue, emergency medical services, public services, VIP and executive transport.
