Dublin, Ireland-Based Leasing Company Works Extensively With
Offshore Industry
Milestone Aviation Group and Eurocopter announced an order for
16 EC225 aircraft at Heli-Expo in Dallas. These aircraft are valued
at $480 million, and will be delivered over five years, starting in
2013.
EC225 File Photo
Eurocopter’s embrace of a partnership with Milestone on
the EC225 is a major development for the helicopter industry. Since
launching in August 2010, Milestone has provided over US $500
million in finance to high quality operators around the world
including Bristow, CHC and Inaer. Now Milestone can deliver
increased value to its customers through timely delivery slots for
EC225 aircraft allowing its partners to bid on tenders.
Richard Santulli, Chairman of Milestone Aviation Group, said,
“This historic order enables Milestone to provide our
customers with the best aircraft and product options available. The
EC225 has a great pedigree and a reputation for providing
leadership in safety and high reliability in demanding operating
conditions.” He continued, “I leased all of the
original Super Pumas, the EC225’s predecessor, delivered in
North America in the 1980’s with my old company RTS
Helicopters, so this deal signals the resumption of a very
important partnership.”
“The EC225 is a remarkable aircraft and we are excited to
be able to offer it to a broader audience of potential operators
through our partnership with Milestone,” said Lutz Bertling,
Eurocopter’s President and CEO. “By removing the
capital hurdle associated with ownership we are hopeful that we can
introduce the EC225 to more operators around the world.”
Eurocopter’s EC225 offers superior speed, range, payload,
optimal safety and reliability. Deployed worldwide for civil and
military search and rescue, as well as off-shore and passenger
transport missions, it is the latest-generation member of the Super
Puma/Cougar family, which has logged more than four million flight
hours in operations around the globe. The EC225 is perfectly
adapted to missions in severe weather, as it is designed to meet
the highest safety standard levels with system redundancy, a highly
capable automatic flight control system, and the capability for
full deicing – which allows flight in all known icing
conditions.
When configured for offshore crew change operations in support
of oil and gas producers, the EC225 can be rapidly converted for
search and rescue operations.