EC175 Enters Service

摘要

Belgian company Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen (NHV) became the world's first operator of the Airbus Helicopters EC175 in December. One of three launch customers for the EC175, it ordered ten in February 2012 and another six in February 2014. The new helicopters will be used for scheduled offshore flights for the oil and gas industry plus search and rescue (SAR) missions. NHV took delivery of the first two production EC175S, PH-NHV (c 5002, ex F-WJXA) and PH-NHU (c 5004), during a ceremony at the manufacturer's Marignane plant near Marseille on December 11. Both flew to NHV's Ostend base in Belgium the next day, where they stayed briefly before continuing to their home base, Den Helder Airport in the Netherlands. From there, PH-NHV made the type's first-ever commercial flight - to a rig in the North Sea -on December 18. The firm is scheduled to take delivery of two more EC175s in March, followed by two in September, two more by the end of the year and another two in early 2016. The final six should join the fleet in 2017.