CHC's first AW139 in Nigeria (they already operate one for the Governor of Rivers State) arrived in Port Harcourt today, after a ferry flight from the factory in Italy. The new aircraft 5N-BJC is the first to sport the CHC corporate colour scheme and will probably go on contract to Agip. Another one is expected by the end of the month for NLNG, along with another SA365N3. The new CHC hangar at the Port Harcourt NAF Base is sprouting some roof beams now and looks as if it will be bigger than their present one. This is all happening at the same time as Bristow seem to have shelved their expansion plans at the NAF Base and are considerably downsizing there. Bristow seem to be expanding their ramp parking area, but their rebuilt passenger terminal is still not in use. Has one of the companies got some information the other doesn't, or is it indicative of changes in fortune of the two competitors?
Caverton has now got its red Dauphin 5N-BIK flying again, crewed by another pilot who recently quit Aero (and Bristow), but they seem to have only that and their AS350BA flying occasionally. The shell of their hangar is there and maybe some of the revenue they are getting from Virgin Nigeria for the use of their passenger terminal and ramp will pay for that to be finished. Since the sale of their A109E they seem to have no corporate identity, with all their helicopters being painted in different colours. Despite recent advertisements in Flight magazine, they seem to have no real direction and few pilots who have been there for more than a few months. Their change in Operations Manager seems to have made little difference to their crewing problems and as a Nigerian owned company they may well be affected more than others by the outcome of the elections, as so much business in Nigeria is as a result of who you know. Doubtless their directors will be backing several horses in the race! At least their website is now under maintenance, so maybe they'll get rid of all the photos of the A109 and all the references to what a great, state-of-the-art machine it is (after all, it must be 8 months now since they got rid of it!).
It's strange that with so many new helicopters arriving, CHC is actually losing pilots to Bristow at the moment. Since Bristow changed from a 7/5 roster to a 6/6 roster a few months ago, a number of pilots have moved across to them. It can't be for the helicopters as the CHC fleet is considerably newer overall, CHC offers better fringe benefits and although the pay with Bristow is presently a little better, it's scarcely worth changing companies for. So what's making pilots change over (whilst engineers are moving the other way)? Maybe it's the different management style of the 2 companies?
There are rumours of management changes in the pipeline at CHC and Bristow is in the process of a significant reshuffle, with the movement of the former General Manager West Africa to a new position on the North Sea - congratulations to Akin Oni on a well-deserved promotion
This has led to a new GM and new Managing Pilots in Port Harcourt and Eket.
Doubtless both companies are awaiting the outcome of next month's Presidential elections to see if the new president will bring about any new changes for the better or, as is widely expected, it will be business as usual
There's also another big problem for both companies (and the helicopter industry in Nigeria in general) as the NCAA is threatening to ban any pilot over the age of 60 flying in command (despite the new ICAO increase to 65). By year's end the 2 companies will probably have close to 25-30 pilots over the age of 60 and it will not be possible to replace them with pilots with the qualifications required by many client oil companies in just a few months. Unless the NCAA has a change of heart, many of these new helicopters may be sitting in the hangar with no crews
