Bristow Ireland has completed its first tasking, days after operations on the country’s new helicopter search and rescue (SAR) contract went live.
Operations at Shannon airport were declared on-line at 23:59 on 7 December, with a fleet of two Leonardo Helicopters AW189s (EI-IRD/-IRR) in place.
The base’s first SAR tasking followed on the afternoon of 10 December when a crew was dispatched to assist an injured walker near Carrigeen Mountain in County Limerick.
A winchman was lowered to the scene to assess the casualty, who was subsequently hoisted aboard and transferred to Limerick hospital.
Bristow was awarded the 10-year Irish Coast Guard support contract in 2023, beating out a rival bid from incumbent CHC Ireland.
It will see a fleet of six AW189s – five new and one older example – plus two fixed-wing aircraft, provided by 2Excel Ireland, deployed across four bases.
A phased transition to the new contract will run until mid-2025.
