Air Greenland's Board of Directors recently decided to enter into a purchase agreement with Airbus Helicopters for the purchase of nine H125 helicopters for a total of DKK 200 million. The investment is in line with the company's fleet strategy, says Air Greenland's Chairman, Bodil Marie Damgaard.

- Despite the fact that much has been about Covid-19, we at Air Greenland have been focusing on the company's fleet strategy in recent years.

In short, it is about Air Greenland having up-to-date and future-proof equipment for the tasks it performs in society. At the same time, we also have the ambition to constantly focus on sustainability and the environment, and the fleet strategy is very important in this respect.

Investments have been made in new aircraft for ambulance flights and for the Atlantic route, as well as in new helicopters for rescue services and for flying in the service contract areas, says Bodil Marie Damgaard.

The H125 will replace the AS350 helicopters and will primarily be used for charter missions throughout the country in connection with mineral exploration and tourism.

- Charter is an important part of Air Greenland's business and in the future we want to continue to be attractive for charter work in the tourism and minerals sectors. It is therefore vital that we remain competitive in delivering the best overall product in the future, and the new H125 helicopters are an important element of this," explains the Chairman.

The new H125 helicopters are largely the same type as the AS350 helicopters Air Greenland uses today. So in addition to being the best choice for the tasks they are purchased for, the new helicopters are also a good fit for Air Greenland's organisation. Technical Director Jørn E. Rasmussen explains.

Air Greenland leases three and owns six AS350 helicopters, which are reaching the age where more repairs can be expected in the future, so these are being replaced with factory new H125s.

The first H125 delivery will be in August/September 2023, after which a helicopter will arrive every month.

The procurement process has been completed with Østnes Helicopters in Norway and the nine helicopters cost a total of DKK 200 million. Air Greenland's CFO, Mogens E. Jensen says that the financing of the investment comes from previous USPP bond issuance, as the replacement of the AS350 with the H125 has been planned for a long time.

With the purchase of the 9 helicopters, the fleet modernization strategy is nearing completion. The goal of the fleet renewal is to future-proof Air Greenland's equipment to be more environmentally friendly, efficient, faster, comfortable and safe to operate.

*images from Airbus H125 sales material