Type Public Industry Transportation Area served Worldwide Number of employees 4,500 Founder Craig Dobbin | Traded as NYSE: HELI Successor Canadian Helicopters Headquarters Richmond, Canada Revenue 1.7 billion USD (2015) Founded 1987 | |
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Predecessor Sealand Helicopters
Okanagan Air Services
Viking Helicopters CEO Karl Fessenden (9 Feb 2015–) Subsidiaries Heli-One, CHC Helikopter Service, CHC Airways | ||
CHC Helicopter is a large helicopter services company, specializing in the following services:
Contents
- History
- Divisions
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- Military
- Police
- Ambulance
- Norway
- Other related services
- Fleet
- Helicopters
- Locations
- Accidents and incidents
- References
CHC Helicopter is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada and operates more than 250 aircraft in 30 countries around the world. CHC's major international operating units are based in Australia, Brazil, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The company is one of several global providers of helicopter transportation services to the offshore oil and gas industry (others including Bristow Helicopters and NHV). CHC has capabilities in precision flying techniques and technical support.
CHC has long-term working relationships with most of the major oil and gas companies. CHC operates the marine search and rescue service for the Irish Coast Guard at Shannon, Waterford, Sligo and Dublin airports and provides commercial Search and Rescue helicopter services for the United Kingdom Maritime and Coastguard Agency. CHC provides helicopter services in Australia for the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia, Victoria Police and the Ambulance Service of New South Wales.
History
Commercial helicopter flying began in British Columbia in the summer of 1947. Three ex-RCAF officers, pilots Carl Agar and Barney Bent, and engineer Alf Stringer, were operating a fixed-wing charter company, Okanagan Air Services Ltd., from Penticton. In July 1947 they raised enough money to purchase a Bell 47-B3 and pay for their flying and maintenance training.
Okanagan Air Services moved to Vancouver in 1949, renamed Okanagan Helicopters Ltd. By 1954, it had become the largest commercial helicopter operator in the world.
In 1987, Newfoundland businessman Craig Dobbin headed a group of investors organized under the name Canadian Holding Company and using the acronym CHC. CHC purchased Okanagan Helicopters, Viking Helicopters, and Toronto Helicopters and merged them with Dobbin's own company, Sealand Helicopters, to form a company named Canadian Helicopters. The parent company was renamed CHC Helicopter Corporation. CHC acquired British International Helicopters in 1994; Helicopter Services Group of Norway in 1999 (including Bond Helicopters), Helikopter Service AS, Lloyd Helicopters of Australia and Court Helicopters of South Africa. In 2004, CHC purchased Schreiner Aviation Group who provided offshore helicopter services in the Dutch sector of the North Sea and to the Nigerian offshore industry.
In 2000, CHC entered into an agreement with Fonds de Solidarité FTQ (FSTQ) and the management of its two Canadian divisions, Canadian Helicopters Eastern and Canadian Helicopters Western, for the sale of an interest in CHC's Canadian assets in a management buyout to form Canadian Helicopters. As a result, senior management and FSTQ acquired 10% and 45% equity interests in Canadian Helicopters, respectively, while CHC retained a 45% equity interest.
CHC restructuring in 2004 saw the creation of a new corporate headquarters in Richmond, British Columbia and the creation of three main operating segments:
In February 2008 all of CHC's shares were purchased by First Reserve, a US private equity company, for CAD$3.7 billion ($3.5 billion). At the time, the word "Corporation" was dropped from the company's name, which is now simply CHC Helicopter. On January 16, 2014 CHC announced an Initial Public Offering of 31,000,000 shares. First Reserve now holds 56.7% of CHC's shares.
On 15th Jan 2016, CHC offered 31,000,000 shares at US$5.17.
On 5th May 2016, CHC Helicopters filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. CHC shares dropped from US$176.10 (17th Nov 14) to US 0.45cents 17th June 2016. A Texas court allowed CHC in July 2016 to shed 65 helicopters from its financial obligations, most of the Super Pumas. CHC reorganized in March 2017.
Divisions
CHC manages its global operations through the following divisions:
Ireland
CHC Helicopter serves as the sole provider of Search and Rescue helicopter services to the Irish Coast Guard, where it had operated a fleet of six Sikorsky S-61N helicopters based in Dublin, Shannon, Waterford, and Sligo. This fleet has now been replaced by 5 Sikorsky S-92 Helibus. The S-61N exited service in December 2013 with a flight from Dublin Airport to Weston Aerodrome, West Dublin. The flight was operated by EI-SAR, the oldest S-61N in commercial operation at the time.
United Kingdom
CHC currently provides SAR helicopters to two of the four Maritime and Coastguard Agency bases in the UK; Portland, Lee-on-Solent, and until recently also operated from Sumburgh and Stornoway. CHC, as part of the Soteria SAR consortium was selected as the "Preferred Bidder" for a 25-year contract to provide a civilian Search and Rescue service throughout the United Kingdom. However, days before the contract was due to be signed in February 2011, the British Government halted the process after CHC disclosed that it had unauthorised access to commercially sensitive information.
Australia
CHC is the largest provider of emergency medical helicopter services in Australia.
Military
Police
Ambulance
Norway
Other related services
Fleet
CHC operates approximately 250 aircraft in over 30 countries which include Malaysia, Australia, Brazil, Thailand, the Philippines, the Middle East, South Africa, Ecuador, Angola, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea.
Helicopters
Locations
• Aberdeen • Sumburgh