Story ID: 
Bristow Turns 60
By: Mark Huber
Caption:  Started in 1955 with a single contract to supply helicopter crews to oil companies operating in the Persian Gulf, the firm is a global powerhouse.
Word Count: 454

The Bristow Group recently celebrated its 60th year in business. Started by Alan Bristow in 1955 with a single contract to supply helicopter crews to oil companies operating in the Persian Gulf, the firm has grown into a global powerhouse.

Today, Bristow has more than 600 aircraft and operations in the North Sea, Nigeria and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia and Trinidad. Currently operating one-third of the helicopters serving the offshore energy market worldwide, Bristow also has service agreements and equity interests in affiliate transportation companies, among them Lider Aviaçao in Brazil, Cougar Helicopters in Canada and Petroleum Air Services in Egypt. Bristow recently acquired regional airlines Eastern Airways in the UK and Airnorth in Australia as part of its strategy to offer point-to-point scheduled and charter flights that combine fixed- and rotary-wing services to clients. The Bristow Academy is the world’s largest commercial helicopter training provider and the only helicopter flight school to hold FAA and EASA approval for commercial pilot training. 

Bristow is based in Houston, Texas. The current CEO is Jonathan Baliff. Alan Bristow led the company until 1985 and stayed involved until his death in 2009 at the age of 85.

Through the years, Bristow has been on the cutting edge of new markets, technology and best practices. It was a pioneer on many aircraft types and an early advocate of safety and helicopter pilot training, establishing a major training facility at Redhill, England, in 1960 to support North Sea operations. Bristow began operations in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1967. In 1971 the company began civilian search-and-rescue (SAR) services in the UK. After a hiatus, it resumed serving the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in 1983 and most recently won a 10-year contract to provide SAR service across the country from 10 bases. Bristow also has SAR operations in Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia and Trinidad.

The company began operations in Africa in 1960 by acquiring Fison-Airwork, a crop-spraying company that also supported some of the first oil exploration work in Nigeria. Bristow continues to maintain a substantial presence in Nigeria, operating from six bases that mostly serve the offshore energy industry.

The U.S. company Offshore Logistics purchased a 49-percent stake in Bristow in 1996 and the combined company was rebranded the Bristow Group in 2006. Bristow launched its Target Zero safety program in 2007, a successful, long-term strategy to develop a culture of safety at all levels of the company. Also that year, Bristow acquired Florida-based Helicopter Adventures and renamed it Bristow Academy, which subsequently grew into one of the largest civil helicopter flight training school in the world.