PHI Aviation begins commercial H160 operations off the Louisiana Coast
March 12, 2025
The helicopter is the first of the worldwide fleet of H160 helicopters to conduct offshore commercial transport missions.
Airbus, PHI and Shell began working on a new partnership in 2020. Airbus provided PHI and Shell with one H160 in 2024 as part of a groundbreaking initiative, for a 300 hour route-proving programme ahead of the delivery of four H160s. This allowed both the operator and final customer to become familiar with the aircraft’s advanced technology and safety features, and placed the aircraft into controlled operations that allowed the manufacturer, operator and customer to better understand the aircraft’s performance. As a result, PHI now has 12 H160-type-rated pilots and 12 H160-qualified A&P mechanics.
Bruno Even, the CEO of Airbus Helicopters said that: “Speaking on behalf of all of the Airbus teams that have been fully dedicated to ensuring a smooth entry into service for the H160, we were honoured to be part of this unique partnership with Shell and PHI. With this outside-the-box approach, the route-proving programme allowed us to closely collaborate alongside the operator and final customer so all of the teams involved had the necessary support to achieve their missions with the maximum level of safety and efficacy. We are thrilled to see the H160 entering into commercial transportation operations. We are grateful to PHI and Shell for trusting Airbus and committing to raising the bar on offshore transportation operations.”
Scott McCarty, the CEO of the PHI Group added that: “This is the culmination of five-plus years of work and an even longer partnership between PHI, Shell and Airbus. The extensive, first-of-its-kind route-proving program allowed our teams to work closely with Shell and Airbus to fully evaluate and optimize the H160’s capabilities, train personnel and ensure certification and indoctrination into PHI’s operational and safety systems. I want to recognize and thank everyone who came together and helped make this route-proving program extremely successful. We are proud and honoured to launch this next-generation aircraft in the Gulf of America.”
Tony Cramp, Shell’s Vice President Aircraft said that: “This is a long anticipated milestone that will bring material advantages to our offshore operations in the Gulf of America,” said “The H160 represents a new generation of rotorcraft with the potential to enhance safety and passenger experience for our people, while giving our business greater operational capability and availability, driving business efficiencies. We look forward to seeing how it performs when in full regular service, with a view to replication in other regions.”
Colette Hirstius, Senior Vice President, Gulf of America, for Shell noted that: “At Shell, we lead in safely supplying energy to our customers from the offshore and from the beginning of this industry, we have innovated our way to the future. Our aviation partner, PHI, has been with us for the long term and now we’ve partnered together to introduce the Airbus H160. We welcome this new helicopter into service to safely transport our people to and from work offshore in the Gulf of America for many years to come.”
The ’Gulf of America’ referred to by the PHI and Shell officers is a disputed term for the waters bounded by the US, Mexico and Cuba, and officially recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization as the Gulf of Mexico.
On 20 January 2025, US president Donald J Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to adopt the name ‘Gulf of America’ for the gulf waters bounded by the US. Some US-based media outlets and online map platforms have voluntarily adopted the name change, while others have not.
