Richmond’s CHC Helicopter kick-started a $500 million transport agreement in Australia last week.
The company, which specializes in transporting oil and gas workers to offshore platforms, said Friday that three EC225 aircraft began operations for Woodside Energy out of Karratha and Broome in northwest Australia.
CHC said the five-year agreement, which includes two two-year extensions, is valued at $500 million.
The deal between the two companies got underway in March with the introduction of two aircraft using CHC’s new hanger complex in Karratha, the company said.
“We play a significant role in the off-shore oil and gas industry globally, and our goal is to increase our presence in one of the industry’s fastest-growing regions,” said Rick Burt, managing director of CHC’s operations in Australia.
The company recently moved its Australian headquarters to Perth in an effort to be closer to its major oil and gas customers.
CHC has also said that it will invest $150 million to provide aircraft, spare parts and base infrastructure to support its contracts there.
Business in Vancouver named Jeff Smith, CHC’s vice-president commercial, a Top 40 under 40 Award winner in January.
A few weeks earlier, the company sold its helicopter flight training division for an undisclosed amount to refocus efforts on its operations (see “CHC sheds training operations and flight simulators” – BIV Business Today, December 21, 2010.)
Joel McKay