ABA, I think the 225 incidents last year highlighted the dangers in putting the majority of your eggs in one basket. Bristow especially were highly affected by the 225 groundings, as just about all of their flights from ABZ were of the 225 variety.
They quickly had to rush in S-92s as quickly as they were made available, plus draft in where they could - hence we saw, & are seeing, the AW139 & the return of the 332L Tigers from retirement. The latter now of course may be caught up in the grounding, however temporary that may prove to be. And Bristow 225s are not commercially flying yet.
All three companies are now talking about a mixed fleet (just like the old days!) so that they have a flexibility should - God forbid - there are future incidents.
The problem is that unlike the Chinook, where there were only 6 machines operating the UKCS when 'FC went down in 1986, the SP & family are presently the dominant type, so the grounding potentially causes a huge logistical problem.
There are other types that could potentially do a job, but no heli is 100% foolproof - not the 92, not the AW139, we'll see how the AW189 does, if/when it turns up in this neck of the woods. Maybe ditto the S76D that Bristow have also ordered, although not sure if it will make an appearance on the UKCS. All the new types look nice, but it's how they perform in the field that counts.
It's quite ironic I'm talking about Bristow, as none of the recent incidents have involved them, but the aftermath certainly does.
The guys that fly in the back are going to take a lot of convincing to step onto the SP family again I think, although Union leaders making general comments about grounding 'all types' are hardly helpful or practical. OK ban them all...just HOW will your members get to/from work then? Ship? I don't think so.