German rotorcraft specialist HeliService is to begin operating offshore flights in support of windfarm construction in the Baltic Sea using helicopters running on a 40% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) under a pilot project.
Operating on behalf of windfarm provider Vestas, HeliService will use a fleet of Leonardo Helicopters AW169 medium-twins and AW139 intermediate-twins for the missions, respectively powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210A and PT6C-67C engines.
Scheduled to run until September 2024, the pilot project supports the construction of the Baltic Eagle windfarm located around 16nm (30km) off the coast of northeastern Germany.
Flights will be conducted from Roskilde in Denmark, with a typical day featuring two helicopters transferring 100-120 crew on at least five return flights.
SAF for the initiative will be supplied by DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark.
Vestas will assess the impact of the SAF usage following the end of the pilot project. It says it is the first time that helicopters operating on such a high SAF blend will be used for the entire construction phase of a new windfarm.
“Vestas’ decision to use SAF for the crew-change flights demonstrates our joint commitment to operate more sustainably in terms of CO2 reduction,” says Oliver Freiland, chief executive of HeliService.
