Brazilian operator Lider Aviacao recently completed the milestone of one million hours flown on missions for the oil and gas and energy industry. This type of operation is part of the mix of services offered by the executive aviation company and is focused on offering air transport solutions to offshore and onshore destinations.

According to Junia Hermont, the company's superintendent: “The achievement of this brand represents all the pioneering spirit of Lider Aviacao in offering this type of service for almost 50 years and reinforces the company's role and contribution to the development of the oil and gas industry and energy in the country.”

Lider Aviacao was the first company to implement a system that monitors maintenance and operations events to ensure more flight safety (flight data monitoring), to carry out satellite monitoring of aircraft positions (flight following), using the aircraft health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) and implementing EFBs, eliminating physical documents and transforming them into digital files, reducing the aircraft's load.

“Investment in technology and safety is a constant in our company, ranging from the training of all professionals to the development and use of systems, in order to raise the level of safety of our operations and guarantee the efficiency of our flights,” reinforces Diego Reis, O&G commercial director. He also comments on Líder's plan to implement TCAS 2, an anti-collision traffic system, aiming to update the company's security systems following international standards. “We already have TCAS 1, and the aircraft in our fleet are already being upgraded.”

Lider Aviacao has already been awarded and recognised, nationally and internationally, by many operators in the oil and gas industry. In providing services to Petrobras, for example, the company won first place in the Brazilian petroleum company's Operational Excellence Program for Air and Maritime Transport (Peotram) for four consecutive years. The initiative was created to develop even more stringent safety management standards for air and maritime transport companies serving Petrobras.

In its helicopter operations unit, Lider Aviacao has a fleet of 32 helicopters, comprising Sikorsky S-92 A, S-76 C +, S76 C ++, Bel 212 and Airbus H135 models. Among the services offered are offshore and onshore air transport, aerial inspection of power transmission lines and pipelines, aeromedical transport and ad hoc helicopter charter.

The S-92 aircraft, a robust Sikorsky helicopter with a capacity for up to 19 passengers, is one of the safest for offshore operations. There are 289 aircraft currently in operation worldwide, reaching more than 1.7 million hours flown in their entirety.

In 1972, Lider Aviacao began operations in the Amazon to support the RADAM project (Radar in the Amazon). An aircraft, equipped with radar and specific instruments, was used to survey the relief from generated images. This activity was carried out for a period of five years, transporting technicians, bushmen, equipment and supplies to the closed forest of the forest.

Lider Aviacao won the first competition for the provision of services to Petrobras, interconnecting the oil prospecting platforms on the Brazilian coast, in 1973. At this time, the company started its investment in Sikorsky aircraft.