LCI delivers first ever dedicated offshore wind helicopters to USA

LCI has begun to deliver the first dedicated offshore wind helicopters in the United States of America.  They will be leased under long-term arrangements to HeliService USA and support a new era of sustainable energy supply in the country. They will be operated by HeliService USA in support of Ørsted and General Electric contracts based in Quonset, RI, and Martha’s Vineyard, MA, and enable safe and efficient crew changes and wind turbine maintenance.

The state-of-the-art Leonardo AW169 helicopters, one of which will be a factory-built new machine, are valued at over US$20 million and are designed to perform a wide range of mission-critical operations.  They are equipped with hoisting systems to airlift technicians to and from wind turbines and can operate across a variety of sea states.  

Jaspal Jandu, CEO of LCI, commented: “LCI is honoured to be enabling the USA’s first offshore wind helicopter operations, which are mission critical and socially responsible. Modern helicopters emit up to five times less CO2 per passenger compared with offshore crew transfer vessels, and they will underpin the growth of this exciting new energy future.We are delighted to be growing our partnership with HeliService USA. Their ability to leverage an unrivalled track record makes them a natural and trusted operator for the nascent offshore wind sector in the USA.”

The White House has a commitment to a new clean energy industry with a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030, and 110GW by 2050*.  Meeting the 2030 target will trigger more than US$12 billion per year in capital investment and create 77,000 direct and indirect jobs. It will also generate enough power to meet the demand of more than 10 million American homes for a year and avoid 78 million metric tons of CO2 emissions**.

Michael Tosi, Managing Director of HeliService USA, said: “Helicopters are vital to efficient offshore wind operations, and we are excited to be bringing proven procedures and strong safety culture to this new clean energy industry. Working in partnership with LCI, and leveraging the experience of the world`s largest offshore wind helicopter operator (HeliService in Europe), we look forward to supporting our customer’s offshore wind operations using these state-of-the art assets.”

LCI maintains a growing, sustainable, and future-focused fleet of young, modern aviation assets, which are leased to major operators and end-users around the world. Many are deployed on mission critical and socially responsible sectors such as emergency medical services (EMS), search and rescue (SAR) and offshore wind energy. It comprehends the need to take action now in order to prepare for the future and, in October 2022, it signed the Aircraft Leasing Ireland’s Sustainability Charter committing to Net Zero by 2050.