Helicopters Air Greenland orders Airbus H225 helicopters for SAR missions

The carrier will use both aircraft for Search and Rescue (SAR) missions in the country. The order supports Air Greenland´s bid to win its home country SAR contract. Over the coming months, the H225s will be repurposed from the oil and gas industry and will be delivered to Air Greenland afterwards.

Currently, Air Greenland is using the ageing S-61 helicopters for its missions. The H225 will bring the carrier more modern avionics that advance the situational awareness. Also, the operator will benefit from latest technologies that will see bettered operational performance overall.

Airbus Helicopters Head of Europe Region Olivier Michalon said: “At Airbus, we are proud that the deployment of the H225 will help ensure the safety of global maritime traffic transiting the Greenland-Iceland gap to and from the Arctic region”.

The European manufacturer will also provide maintenance and support work for Air Greenland. The operator will additionally use the pilot and crew training offerings from Airbus.

Air Greenland CEO Jacob Nitter Sørensen said: “These two specific aircraft have low numbers of flight hours and their remarkable capability on SAR operations ensures that they will be able to provide a highly effective service in that role for many years to come.”

Airbus Helicopter´s H225 is the latest member of the Super Puma family and features more powerful engines that provide a smoother ride and enhanced performance when compared to earlier models. Accumulated, the H225 fleet has more than 600,000 flight hours out of more than 5.5 million flight hours recoded by the Super Puma family.

Operated by 20 nations across the world, the H225 and H225M are benchmarks in the SAR and combat SAR category. A state-of-the-art 4-axis autopilot system offers outstanding endurance and a fast cruise speed. The twin-engine helicopter can be configured with a wide range of SAR equipment.

The aircraft is being operated by two pilots and can accommodate up to 18 passengers or six stretchers on board. The aircraft has all-weather capability and full anti-icing. This is of special importance for operators that use the aircraft in heavy weather circumstances.

Air Greenland is the leading carrier in Greenland and operates with Airbus A330-200s, Dash-8-200s, Super King Airs, S-61, Eurocopter AS 350 and Bell 212 helicopters.