Landres,
I came across this information today and thought you might help you.
The offshore oil and gas industry could not operate efficiently without
helicopters. There are currently 228 helideck-equipped fixed installations
and approximately 50-100 mobile helidecks in the UK. The industry core
workforce (those spending 100+ nights per year offshore) in 2012 was
25,760. As a measure of related helicopter activity, in the same year, just over 141,000 sectors were flown, consuming 86,000 flight hours and over a million passengers were carried. The majority of these passengers would be those flying regularly as part of their shift pattern.
Three UK helicopter companies operate approximately 95 aircraft in support
of the exploitation of oil and gas around the UK: Bristow Helicopters Ltd;
Bond Offshore Helicopters Ltd; and CHC Scotia Ltd. The main operating bases
are: Aberdeen; Sumburgh; Scatsta; Norwich; North Denes; Humberside; and
Blackpool. Three other UK helicopter companies regularly operate to offshore
locations on a much smaller scale in support of renewable energy projects and
marine navigation facilities.