CHC leaves UK SAR helicopter contest

A report in The Financial Times has revealed that the UK government’s contest to run a national search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service has been narrowed from three to two bidders – Bond Offshore Helicopters and Bristow Helicopters. CHC Helicopter has now left the process.

A spokesperson for CHC Helicopter told Waypoint: “We learned on 20 December from the [Department for Transport – DfT] that CHC won’t be asked to submit final tenders for the agency’s multi-year SAR contract. Our interim bids were well within the DfT’s budget guidelines and were fiscally responsible for CHC, but were not among the lowest ones. We had genuine interest in UK SAR and pursued the contract in good faith, but what’s best for CHC – and ultimately our customers – is growth that is sufficiently profitable.”

The DfT confirmed that CHC had been dropped but declined to say why. The announcement of the contract winner is due in ‘spring 2013’, said the Department.

Image: SAC Dave Rose / RAF / Crown Copyright