New offshore contract sees Babcock fly workers out of Sumburgh Airport

Offshore workers enter a helicopter at Sumburgh Airport.

Helicopter operator Babcock has made the first flight out of Sumburgh under its new five-year contract for to support the offshore industry.

It is expected that Babcock’s offshore business will make more than 100 flights a month to oil and gas installations in the Northern North Sea on behalf of EnQuest, TAQA and CNR International.

Passengers fly from Aberdeen to Sumburgh on a Loganair ATR 42 aircraft, before taking the final leg by offshore helicopter.

Today the first flight of 38 passengers left Aberdeen International Airport on a Loganair aircraft arriving at Sumburgh where they transferred to  Babcock S-92 helicopters, with one helicopter flying 19 passengers to CNR’s Ninian Southern platform and another taking 19 passengers to TAQA’s Cormorant Alpha and Tern platforms.

Babcock Offshore director Ian Cooke said: “Today’s first flight marks a significant moment for us as we embark on a new relationship with an important new customer group.”

The loss of offshore contracts to the Babcock/Loganair partnership operating out of Sumburgh Airport led to the closure of Scatsta Airport in the North Mainland last month.