Airbus Helicopters is seeing renewed interest in its H225 Super Puma for offshore operations, almost a decade after a fatal accident in Norway which led to many operators removing the type from use.

“We have aircraft coming back in China, Vietnam, Africa and Brazil, and Shell has approved it again as a potential aircraft to fly in the oil and gas market, which is a big step for us,” says Michel Macia, the airframer’s head of Super Puma programme.

“We are not pushing the aircraft in the oil and gas market,” he emphasises. “People are coming to us and asking if we are interested to go back, and we have said yes.”

Thirteen people were killed in the Norwegian accident after a CHC Helikopter-operated H225’s main rotor separated from the aircraft following a catastrophic main gearbox failure.

He notes that the enhanced main gearbox design which was developed and installed on the H225 in the wake of the 2016 crash is “well above any [safety] regulation standard that is imposed by our authorities”.

“The Super Puma has been through a lot of safety challenges,” he says. “We have invested a lot to make it at the highest safety standard.

“We know that it is a sensitive market due to the accident in Norway. But if there is a possibility to return to the North Sea [area of operations], yes, of course, if there is a need we will be ready.” He notes: “If it [demand] is more for the [H]175, let’s go the 175. But if you need long-range, it is the [Sikorsky] S-92 or the 225.”

Operators of the US-built S-92 have been affected by spare parts availability, including of gearbox components, amid the type’s intensive use in the oil and gas sector over recent years.

Airbus Helicopters secured orders for 58 H225/Ms last year, with deals including a major commitment by Germany’s Bundespolizei for 38, plus six options – deliveries will run from from 2029. The Netherlands, meanwhile, signed for 12 M-model examples.

Macia also points to other military orders secured from France, Hungary and Iraq for the Caracal in recent years. Aviation analytics company Cirium also records 10 as currently being on order for the Royal Moroccan Air Force.

Annual output across the Super Puma family is set at around 25 units, and Airbus Helicopters chief executive Bruno Even said last year that the type will remain in production into the 2040s.

“It is at the same time legacy and the future of Airbus [Helicopters],” Macia told reports at the company’s Marignane site near Marseille on 14 October.

He also sees increased potential for the lighter-weight H215 family member in applications including civilian search and rescue, and aerial firefighting, especially in the USA.

“Our strength is that we can customise and tailor this aircraft to fit your requirement,” he tells potential customers. Its offering is capable of carrying a firefighting load of up to 4t, and comes with emergency flotation equipment. By contrast, he notes that when operators acquire surplus Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks from the US Army for the role, “you get what is available”.

Meanwhile, he says that of the roughly 140 H225s placed into storage following the North Sea accident, all have now been placed with new customers.

However, he sees a possibility that the Bundespolizei’s in-service fleet of around 20 legacy Super Pumas could become available to the market following the arrival of its replacement assets.