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Eurcopter delivers 600th helicopter to Canadian Market
December 14, 2010 By Carey Fredericks
Dec. 14, 2010, Fort Erie, Ont. - Eurocopter Canada Limited (ECL) delivered the 600th helicopter on Dec. 9 for the Canadian market to Héli-Inter Inc., a major helicopter charter company headquartered in St-Hubert, Quebec.
The powerful Eurocopter AS350 B3 light helicopter will be flown primarily in Northern Quebec, supporting mineral exploration and development programs.
“We are delighted to reach the 600th helicopter milestone in supplying Héli-Inter with a new dual hydraulics AS350 B3 aircraft that highlights our helicopters’ ability to exceed Canadian requirements for maximum dependability and cost effectiveness,” said Mr. Guy Joannes, President & CEO, ECL. “Each delivery demonstrates that our helicopters offer the payload and performance required to work in Canada, whose vast distances and extreme weather make it one of the most challenging operating environments in the world.”
The delivery of this dual hydraulics AS350 B3 to Héli-Inter is also another milestone in our long term relationship with Groupe Placement B. Allard Inc., the Quebec-based aviation holding company that is parent to Héli-Inter and five other companies, flying a total of 86 helicopters – Canada’s second largest fleet.
“We added the AS350 B3 as the next logical step in the development of our helicopter business,” said Benoît Allard, owner of Groupe Placement B. Allard Inc. “Our companies already have 49 AS350 helicopters in their fleet and we have acquired considerable expertise with these helicopters, thus re-enforcing the safety and reliability of our operations.”
With the new Eurocopter AS350 B3 delivery, Héli-Inter will operate a fleet of 44 helicopters, including 23 single-engine Eurocopter AStars/Ecureuils and two twin-engine AS355 TwinStars/Ecureuils. The company has two operating bases located in Malartic in the Abitibi region of Northwest Quebec, and Radisson, Quebec, two well-known mining regions.
Groupe Placement B. Allard Inc. subsidiaries include Helicraft, Héli-Excel, Héli-Wask, and Héli-Inter which service Quebec, Ontario and the Eastern Arctic; Coast to Coast Helicopters Inc. and Mustang Helicopters based in Alberta; and Heli-Can in Latin America. The group also owns Exact Air, a fixed-wing flying school and scheduled and charter service.
