NHV Group acquires Blueway

NHV, a fast growing international helicopter operator, announces today that it has completed the acquisition of Blueway, making it one of the largest European helicopter transport operators.

In line with its growth strategy, and in order to provide even more efficient services to its clients, NHV, supported by its shareholder Ardian and its founder and CEO, Eric van Hal, has ordered 16 Airbus Helicopters EC175. With the delivery of the first two on December 11th, the first commercial flights have already been performed for oil and gas missions, making the NHV Group the first operator of this new generation of helicopters. These additions reaffirm NHV’s position as owning and operating one of the youngest, state-of-the-art and safest fleets in the industry. With the acquisition of Blueway, the NHV Group becomes the only operator with a presence in all Oil and Gas producing countries in the North Sea region, as well as a leading position in West Africa. The combined group now employs around 650 people across the globe, with a combined turnover of US$270 million.

About NHV Group
The various companies in the NHV Group are: NHV, DanCopter A/S, Blueway Offshore Norge AS, Vertech Offshore As and Airlift AS. NHV Group, based in Ostend, Belgium, is specialized in Business-to-Business aviation services and has strong geographic presence in the North Sea, with a solid track record of rapid international expansion and a leading position in Western Africa (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria). NHV, Blueway Offshore Norge and DanCopter delivers offshore crew change services in the North Sea and selected locations world-wide. In addition NHV also operates in the market segments of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (“HEMS”) and Maritime Services, which include Search and Rescue (“SAR”), offshore Wind Turbines and Harbor Pilot Services. Vertech Offshore is the market leader in flare tip replacement by helicopter on offshore installations globally. Airlift is the leading supplier in Norway of power grid construction and maintenance services. Airlift is also a leading supplier of people transport, services to the telecom industry, construction, avalanche safety and power plant construction sites. NHV Group operates a diverse fleet of 62 helicopters in total (EC225, AS332L2, AS332C, EC175, AW139, EC155B1, AS365, EC145, MD Explorer, and AS350) with a solid order book of 16 helicopters (14 EC175, 2AW139) for the coming 3 years.