Helicopter services company PHI Aviation recently opened its Asia-Pacific (APAC) headquarters in Perth, Australia, to oversee bases in that country, as well as in New Zealand and the Philippines. The move comes after the company shut down its regional headquarters operation in Nelson, New Zealand. However, the company said it would continue to operate its New Plymouth base in that country. Cory Latiolais will take on a new role as PHI's COO for APAC.
PHI’s global headquarters remains in Lafayette, Louisiana, and its London office supervises the company’s operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company has operated in Western Australia since 1980, with current bases in Broome and Karratha servicing the oil and gas industry. The Broome base recently celebrated its five-year anniversary and is home to seven aircraft and 95 employees. Since its opening in 2017 through June 2022, aircraft based there have flown more than 21,700 hours transporting 90,885 passengers on 4,972 offshore flights.
Significant accomplishments for the base include supporting energy companies Inpex and Shell, operation of all-weather search and rescue (SAR) medevac aircraft with full-time crews, and integration of the Leonardo AW139 to assist with the distribution of Covid vaccines to remote communities. The company has also consolidated its base operations into one large hangar from several smaller ones and introduced a SAR cadetship.