Well happily the button pressing seems set to resume very soon...although it seems nobody told Bristow, or maybe after the last time they back peddled enough??
(Dow Jones) - EC225 helicopters, widely used to transport personnel and equipment to offshore oil rigs around the world, are expected to resume service within a few weeks after being grounded for nearly eight months because of engine problems, although two of its major players are not in agreement on the calendar.
Most EC225 helicopters are capitalized since October 2012, after two helicopters were forced to land in the North Sea due to damage.
Canadian CHC Helicopter operates 30 helicopters and fixed said Thursday expect that the resumption of flights of EC225 is "a matter of weeks," according to the approval of regulators and customers.
Rival Bristow Group (BRS), however, does not expect that its ten EC225 to be allowed to fly again until the fourth quarter.
Eurocopter, a subsidiary of EADS, said in recent weeks the helicopter operators and their customers have discovered the cause of the incident last year. The group is working with regulators to temporary solutions and a new design of the gearbox of the helicopter, which, according to Bristow, could take more than a year.
"Eurocopter is confident that once the safety measures approved by the authorities, the first EC225 will resume full operation by the end of June [or] in mid-July 2013," said the manufacturer in a email.
-Doug Cameron, Dow Jones Newswires