Bristow Group has reached “the most favorable terms possible” on new, long-term maintenance agreements with Leonardo Helicopters and Pratt & Whitney for the operator’s fleet of AW139 helicopters.
The new agreements follow the 2020 merger between Era and Bristow. Previously, Era’s AW139 fleet was covered by a limited power-by-the-hour maintenance agreement on the airframe while engines were covered on a time and cost of materials basis. But Bristow’s fleet of intermediate twins was subject to multiple and disparate power-by-the-hour airframe agreements with Leonardo. The engines were covered by a power-by-the-hour agreement with Pratt & Whitney.
The new agreements between Bristow and the OEMs bring both fleets together under “consistent, global maintenance support.” They also are expected to result in maintenance costs that are more directly correlated with flight hours and more predictable cash flow for Bristow. “These long-term agreements provide greater certainty and better economics for our global AW139 fleet,” added Bristow president and CEO Chris Bradshaw.
Additionally, Bristow has signed long-term maintenance support agreements with Leonardo for the AW189 airframe and with Honeywell for the AW139 avionics. Another long-term maintenance agreement was signed with GE for the AW189 and S-92 engines.