CHC do Brasil, part of CHC Helicopter, has started operations from a new hangar at Marica airport, having secured four new contracts with leading state-owned energy company Petrobras.

The hangar will help support CHC to deliver on two of the new contracts with Petrobras related to its work at the pre-salt of Santos Basin. The four new contracts encompass four heavy-size Sikorsky S-92A helicopters to support Petrobras, the largest CHC customer in Brazil.

The launch event was marked by the arrival of CHC's two Sikorsky S-92 helicopters with the traditional welcome baptism of water jets from Fire Department trucks. The CHC team, including CEO Gilson Caputo, sales director Licia Rocha and legal director Gabriela Barros, landed at the airport from Rio de Janeiro. The event sought to highlight Marica airport’s growing importance in supporting offshore operations, particularly in the Búzios Field, a leader in deep water oil and gas production.

“Marica airport is a strategic hub supporting the growing demand in Brazil's offshore oil and gas industry. We are delighted to consolidate our position here with this new hangar and to play an essential role in providing safe and reliable helicopter operations for Petrobras and other leading companies,” says Caputo.

As part of the new contracts, CHC will provide crew change flights to over 60 offshore units operated by Petrobras and its partners from Jacarepaguá and Marica airports, located at Rio de Janeiro estate. The contracts all commenced between Q1 and Q3 2024 and the duration varies from three to five years. The total estimated contract value for the four contracts surpasses 300 million dollars in secured revenue. CHC operates 15 aircraft to support 12 contracts in the country.

Licia Rocha, CHC sales director for Latin America, comments: “We have built a trusted relationship with Petrobras since 1990 through providing the highest levels of operational excellence and safety. This new hangar will help support us on delivering these new contracts and demonstrates our commitment to the region and the value of long-term partners committed to sustainable contracts.”

The new contracts come after CHC was named the number one provider for Operational Excellence in Offshore Transportation in Brazil by Petrobras as part of its annual PEOTRAM award, which promotes the development of outstanding operations and maintenance standards in the Brazilian aviation market.

With the arrival of the global offshore giant, Marica airport, managed by the Marica Development Company (Codemar), is further consolidating itself in the Búzios Field cycle.

“Having a global company like CHC with us, together with our other players that already operate here, reinforces the positioning of Marica airport as one of the main players in offshore transport today,” says Codemar president Hamilton Lacerda.

The new aircraft will occupy Patio 3, together with the helicopters in operation from Omni Táxi Aéreo and Líder Aviação. In total, Marica airport will operate with 12 aircraft.

“The arrival of CHC reflects the growth of Marica airport's operations and, at the same time, is a driving force for the expansion process to continue. The trend is exponential growth,” says Codemar operations director Marta Magge.

Last week, four more Omni Táxi Aéreo helicopters arrived at the airport. With the new operations, the airport has doubled the number of flights, reaching a daily capacity of 72 offshore flights, in addition to two more Azul Conecta flights that operate the Marica-São Paulo route through the Voa Marica programme for general passengers.

To accommodate the increased flow of passengers, Marica airport has carried out expansion works both in the restricted area designated for aircraft and in the boarding and disembarking area, expanding the passenger terminal by 180sqm.