HNZ Group is constantly making news as we continue to grow and deliver world-class service. Learn more about what we’ve been up to lately by reviewing the following news stories and articles.
December 21, 2017 – Shareholders have voted to approve the acquisition of HNZ Group Inc. by the Corporation’s President & CEO, Don Wall, through a wholly-owned acquisition company, and the subsequent sale of certain assets to PHI, Inc., with shareholders receiving CAD$18.70 in cash per share.
The closing of the transaction is expected to be completed in late December 2017.
For details of the transaction please view the full press release.
Canadian Helicopters sent two Sikorsky S61N helicopters to St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, in October 2017 to assist with disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. HNZ/Canadian Helicopters was contracted by FEMA through Momentum Decisive Solutions Canada Inc.
On April 3, 2017 PHI HNZ Australia PTY Limited performed its first flight for the Inpex-led Ichthys LNG Project, based out of Broome, Western Australia. The entity PHI HNZ supplies up to four Sikorsky S-92 heavy helicopters providing transportation services for the Ichthys LNG Project’s massive offshore facilities in Australia.
This new contract builds on HNZ’s current business in Australia, where HNZ has performed helicopter transportation operations for over 20 years. The new contract for the Ichthys Project represents the second customer and offshore base HNZ supports in Australia.
For more information, please refer to the December 1, 2016 Press Release: HNZ Announces Joint Venture in Australia to Support New Inpex Offshore Oil and Gas Contract.
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Canadian Helicopters is pleased to announce the extension of the Emergency Health Services (“EHS”) LifeFlight air ambulance helicopter services contract with the Province of Nova Scotia. Canadian Helicopters will supply two Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopters, an upgrade from one currently employed Sikorsky S- 76A model, to be used for critical patient transport. The S-76C+ helicopters will be ready for service on August 1, 2017. The amended contract expires March 31, 2032.
Since the LifeFlight program commenced in 1996, the Halifax based aircraft has transported over 10,000 critical patients. “We are very pleased with the ongoing confidence that EHS has placed in the safety and quality of our services and operations,” said Don Wall, President and CEO of HNZ Group. “This amendment represents a renewed relationship with the Province of Nova Scotia that we have had since 1996. We look forward to continuing to support the people of Nova Scotia.”
From left: Don Venturi, General Manager, HNZ Topflight; Romain Trapp, President, Airbus Helicopters Canada and COO, Airbus Helicopters North America; and Don Wall, President and CEO, HNZ Group. Photo courtesy of Airbus Helicopters Canada.
HNZ Topflight and Don Wall, President & CEO of HNZ Group, were the recipients of the Airbus Helicopters Canada 2016 Innovation in Safety Award. The award was presented in recognition of a contribution toward outstanding rotary wing aviation safety by a commitment to sustaining safe flying practices through a ground breaking approach.
HNZ Topflight’s recently introduced Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) represents the very leading edge of technology in synthetic flight training, and was the object of the award. The FSTD is the first in Canada to introduce the benefits of synthetic training to single engine helicopter operations.
“We are honored to accept this award,” said Wall. Safety is fundamental to everything we do at HNZ and we are strongly committed to developing technologies to improve it.”
Left to Right: Bjorn Veum Seljevold, MD Norsk Helikopterservice, Daniel Schultz, President, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.
HNZ and its partner company, Norsk, attended Sola Conference 2016 from Sept 19-21 in Stavanger, Norway. The conference was attended by customers, manufacturers, operators and other industry stakeholders with a view to addressing current safety, regulatory and economic issues in the industry. While at the conference HNZ Partner Norsk Helikopterservice received recognition of its contribution towards the Sikorsky S-92’s first million hours of flight time.
HNZ Group teamed up with Frasca International by displaying HNZ Topflight’s new combined Airbus AS350 B2/H125 Level 7 Flight Training Device at HELI-EXPO 2016. Complimentary “test-flights” were offered to interested parties. The “FTD” will move to its permanent location at the Edmonton International Airport in the Fall of 2016. It will be available, through HNZ Topflight, to operators who are interested in utilizing this device as part of their training programs. Flight hour credits may be obtained as part of a CAA approved training program.
HNZ Group is pleased to announce it has enhanced its presence North of 60 through the creation of Acasta HeliFlight Inc. Acasta will be based in Yellowknife, NT and will provide specialized Northern Canadian VFR helicopter transportation services throughout the region. Acasta will be primarily under the leadership of President Adam Bembridge, a local aviation executive with experience in the North.
“We are very pleased to be expanding our onshore operations in Northern Canada”, said Don Wall, President and Chief Executive Officer of HNZ Group. “Acasta is a promising partnership which combines the technical expertise, financial strength and economies of scale of HNZ with the Northern know-how of a proven innovator like Adam Bembridge, who has deep ties in all corners of the North.”
Bembridge personally owns an equity share in Acasta. According to Bembridge, “I’m extremely proud to not only be a part of this investment in the North personally, I’m thrilled to have a such a dynamic partner like HNZ Group making this significant investment in the future of my home community of Yellowknife.”
HNZ Group is pleased to announce it has received a notice of intent to award a contract from the United States Department of Defense in support of the North Warning System (“NWS”). The NWS is an early warning radar system, comprised of 47 radar sites spanning the Canadian Arctic.
HNZ Group, operating under brand Canadian Helicopters, has been selected as the “successful offeror”, subject to customary U.S. government approval of operational funding for each fiscal year and conclusion of definitive contracts. The Department of Defense decision was taken following a competitive bidding process.
A total of nine owned IFR medium and heavy helicopters, including some redeployed fleet from Afghanistan, will be used for the contract. The contract includes a year-round service employing five aircraft on the Operations and Maintenance component, and four aircraft in a seasonal capacity servicing the Bulk Fuel and Supplemental components with various commencement dates. Canadian Helicopters is the current service provider for both the Bulk Fuel transfer and Supplemental components.
The contract is for a six-month base period with four one-year and one six-month extensions, each exercisable at the option of the Department of Defense, for a total of five years with expected aggregate revenues of approximately US$61 million. The prime contractor is the Canadian Commercial Corporation, Canada’s international contracting agency, which focuses on government-to-government contracting and procurement.
“These agreements represent a continuation of our long term relationship with the U.S. military,” said Don Wall, President and CEO of HNZ Group. “We are pleased with the ongoing confidence that the United States Department of Defense has placed in the quality of our services and operations.”
Please see full release.
Don Wall (left), President and Chief Executive Officer of HNZ Group, with Bjorn Veum Seljevold, Chairman of Norsk Helikopterservice (NHS) at the NHS Hangar in Stavanger, Norway.
HNZ Group Inc. announced today it has acquired an interest in Norsk Helikopterservice AS (“NHS”), an offshore helicopter provider based in Stavanger, Norway.
NHS’s offshore operations provide crew transport to oil and gas customers within the Norwegian continental shelf. It currently operates one Sikorsky S-92 heavy aircraft in support of Lundin Petroleum’s offshore facilities and performs ad hoc work for other oil and gas operators. NHS employs approximately 25 people and has leased offices and hangar space at Stavanger Airport.
As one of the largest offshore helicopter markets in the world, the Norwegian offshore market consists of approximately 60 aircraft operated by four helicopter companies (including NHS), and exclusively employs heavy aircraft due to the distances and environmental conditions involved.
HNZ’s investment in NHS and Norway represents its first in the European market and complements its operations in North America and the Asia-Pacific region.
Please see full release.