Omni Helicopters International Group has taken delivery of its first Airbus Helicopters H160 medium-twin on lease from Ireland-based lessor GD Helicopter Finance (GDHF).
To be operated by Brazilian subsidiary Omni Taxi Aereo, the H160 is configured for offshore oil and gas transport.
Omni says the introduction of the new helicopter is driven by a need to “offer alternative types in the medium helicopter class”, in part to reduce the support costs for the avionics and engines on its existing fleet.
The H160 delivered to Omni is the first to be taken direct from the factory by GDHF, part of an orderbook for 50 examples it acquired from Chinese lessor GDAT at its launch earlier this year.
In total, GDHF expects to take delivery of three H160s this year, “all on long leases”, chief executive Michael York told FlightGlobal on 5 November at the European Rotors trade show, adding that the pipeline for 2025 is also “very robust”.
GDHF is steadily building its presence in the market alongside a portfolio of assets.
Having previously acquired three positions for factory-new Leonardo Helicopters AW189s – again from GDAT – GDHF on 5 November unveiled a framework agreement with the airframer with to supply 10 offshore-roled examples of the super-medium-twin.
York says with its latest AW189 deal, the lessor now has the “ability to deliver what customers want”.
Deliveries of the AW189s are scheduled for the 2027-2029 period.
With such a large orderbook – it also holds commitments for 20 H175s – GDHF has faced criticism that it is placing speculative orders that will result in an over-supply of aircraft if the market turns, an accusation that York rejects.
“We are being very disciplined in our investment thesis. We have an under-supplied market today with a shortage of available aircraft.
“There is a gradual and incremental need for super-medium helicopters and we want to be in a position to supply them to our customers.”
He notes that the long lead times quoted by both manufacturers – currently at around 18 months or more for super-mediums – encourage orders now.
