More than a rumour it seems
 

https://www.flightglobal.com/helicop...149048.article

Used their hangar in Sande to do a few bits and bobs on a 135 back in 2011 when a lot of the founding staff were still there. Outstanding bunch with a wealth of experienced and capable people then.

They probably did most of the heavy maintenance for S76's in Continental EU. The workshop as you can appreciate being in Germany didn't lack for anything to do just about whatever you could imagine.

They used to manufacture a lot of airframe parts in house to keep a few old "B" model 76's going. It was about the time they operated their first AW139 which drew a few candid comments!

Guess the place has changed considerably but still not great to hear of the current woes............

You’ve got to hand it to VL, he called it and despite the doubters, he was spot on!

Yes - well anyone who knows who VL is would also know that his sources/information are likely to be accurate, and he is not likely to be making stuff up.

@Torquetalk >> absolutely - and US Chapter 11 is similar to UK "Administration" where there is the expectation of coming out the other side "leaner and meaner" than before. In practice there is usually brief halt to get the paperwork done to establish (eg) who is now the signatory authority on contracts etc. I've seen a 50-year-old family business be forced into that UK system at close hand. In official legal wording, "bankruptcy" in the UK can only be linked to persons, not companies.

Is the UK part of Wiking implicated in this? Wiking UK is 51% owned on paper by a 79-year old British national and a combined 48.5% by three members of the Turkish family who own Wiking Germany's UHC Basari Holding (ie not owned on paper via Wiking Germany). It's only the last 0.5% that shows as being owned by Wiking Germany. There would clearly be an "intercompany account" between UK and Germany which may come into play, though.

Parapex fleet data and WINGX activity data show that the one of the five H145s in the combined Wiking fleet has never flown for the company since import to the UK through LHR cargo from PHI Australia on 1st May, one AW139 has not flown since 7th February. Additionally Wiking UK have a base at Beccles in Suffolk, not just the one at Wick in Scotland

Now you say it that makes sense, haven't heard the term bankrupcy in connection with a company.

Hope it works out and that a viable business emerges. I think that neck of the woods is replete with operators fallling over themselves to get in on the wind park action and please the customer. Even if that means business models that are not sustainable. Some Norwegian legislation would not got amiss.

Not forgetting that the UK has had the operation of three windfarm support EC135s have their contracts cancelled. At one time there were two EC135s operating from Sandscale HP (nr Barrow, Cumbria) and another EC135 from a Lowestoft.

Our industry seems bad at trying to get the message across to windfarm operators that the pollution produced by (slightly cheaper) chug-chug boats is far worse for their sustainability records than a point-to-point helicopter.

For anyone interested, Pluta, the German administrator, says: Wiking Helicopter Service Ltd is not affected by the application for insolvency.

Heli Holland
 

It appears to be Heli Holland being left interested to buy the remainings.

Does anyone know if they got that UK AOC at all?

I don't believe they did achieve their UK AOC, but i could be wrong.

Unifly have just been awarded a UK AOC haven't they ?

Yes they have issued a press release, a couple of weeks ago.

Although there's no sign of the UK registered AW169 actually flying. All flights from Humberside are still being conducted by OY-HOF.

As at 1st August 2022, Wiking did not have a UK AOC

I hear the U.K. arm is also folding.

Beccles-based machine left a couple of weeks ago.

Speculation over - the UK-registered 169 (ex OY-HOW) is now plying its trade offshore and back as G-UNIA

The German Wiking business is still flying

Yes apparently Wiking's UK business has closed the door. The German arm is still operating, for how long who knows!