Hyderabad, Jan 19 (IANS): Airbus on Friday signed a services contract with Heligo Charter Private Limited for six Airbus H145 helicopters deployed for offshore and onshore operations in India.

The HCare Initial contract, a comprehensive by-the-hour services contract, was signed at Wings India 2024, Asia's biggest civil aviation event here.

Under this five-year contract, Heligo will benefit from Airbus' HCare Initial programme, which will give the operator the freedom to replace scheduled and unscheduled components within 24 hours and pay a fixed rate per hour of helicopter flown.

This will help Heligo to bring down their maintenance costs and the need to keep a regular inventory, thereby providing them with enhanced fleet availability for streamlined operations.

"We are proud to be the first operator to offer a fleet of Airbus Helicopters' 5-bladed H145 to ONGC for offshore operations in India. Once these helicopters are delivered this year, Heligo will have the largest H145 fleet in India serving both offshore and onshore missions. The H145 is a modern, multi-role helicopter which is suited for Indian conditions, offering exceptional performance and operational economics," said Nayan Jagjivan, Chairman, Heligo Charters Private Limited.

Sunny Guglani, head Airbus Helicopters, Airbus India and South Asia congratulated the Heligo team for being awarded the recent offshore contract with the H145s.

"This HCare Initial by-the-hour contract that we have just signed with Heligo for their H145 fleet will ensure efficient operations for these helicopters and their maximum availability," he said

The H145 is the latest member of the company’s twin-engine rotorcraft product range – with designed-in mission capability and flexibility, especially in high and hot operating conditions. Compact in size, this helicopter’s small footprint and large, flexible cabin enables maneuvering in complex environments, such as oil and gas helidecks.