EC225 flyr

SonAir Welcomes EC225 Pair Back Into Service

Eurocopter’s EC225 is back in the air following the grounding of the type since October 2012 related to a shaft failure issue. African oil and gas operator SonAir is the first to resume EC225 missions, conducting a series of three flights with two helicopters from its base at Luanda to a pair of offshore platforms.


SonAir EC225. Photo by Anthony Pecchi

SonAir has headquarters in Angola, serving as the aviation division of Sonangol, the country’s national oil company. There are 11 EC225s at SonAir’s base in Luanda, with nine conducting crew change missions for the offshore sector. The aviation division also flies four AS332 L2s and three AS365 N3s. Joao Andrade, chairman and CEO, notes that the three “routine” flights confirmed that the EC225’s return-to-service “is backed by strong safety measures” that boost the confidence of its clients.

Earlier in July, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) validated the safety measures that Eurocopter recommended in connection to the shaft failures. The main focus of the investigation has been to prevent cracking in the main gear bevel shaft.