Starlite Aviation’s $100 million helicopter purchase to aid expansion

Irish-based Starlite Aviation has signed a $100 million (€72.4m) contract to buy four Super Puma helicopters.

The acquisitions, which are financed by Deutsche Bank, are part of Starlite’s fleet renewal and expansion programme.

Starlite is the launch customer for the Airbus Helicopters Super Puma AS332 C1e.

The company recently took delivery of the first helicopter, which has been registered in Ireland and deployed to Kosovo for utility and medevac work as part of helicopter emergency support services by Starlite for the European Union Rule of Law mission.

A second helicopter, which Starlite is about to take delivery of, will be deployed to Mali as part of an EU training mission.

“These new C1e Super Pumas which Starlite has acquired in the context of our fleet renewal and expansion programme will join our extensive helicopter fleet, which currently includes 12 Airbus Helicopters Pumas SA330s out of the company’s 46 aircraft,” Starlite director Alan O’Neill said.

Starlite initially placed two firm orders for helicopters with two options in November 2012.

The options have since been confirmed, with the remaining helicopters scheduled for delivery by Airbus (formerly Eurocopter) before the end of the year.

Relief programmes
Mr O'Neill said that the investment would ensure that Starlite continued to be the company of choice for international relief programmes, as well as dedicated global helicopter work.

Established in Ireland in 2008, Starlite Aviation specialises in supplying helicopters on a short-term contractual basis to clients such as the EU, the United Nations, a range of NGOs, the energy sector and various government bodies.