Bristow to Add Helicopters to Fleet

Bristow Group Inc. said late Tuesday that it had exercised options under its Helicopter Sales Agreement with Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation to purchase four additional S-92 helicopters.

In conjunction with this exercise of options for the four S-92 helicopters, nine medium aircraft ordered previously have become options. In addition, Bristow has acquired options for 10 additional S-92 helicopters, bringing the total number of options for S-92 helicopters to 14.

William E. Chiles, President and Chief Executive Officer said, "With all existing Sikorsky S-92 large helicopter orders already under contract, we are adding four more state-of-the-art S-92 aircraft to meet the foreseeable needs of our customers. We will continue to consider if and when to exercise our options for 22 additional large and 36 medium aircraft based on market demand."

Bristow Group Inc. is the leading provider of helicopter transportation services to the worldwide offshore energy industry based on number of aircraft operated. Through its subsidiaries, affiliates and joint ventures, the Company has major operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea, and operations in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Alaska, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia and Trinidad. Additionally, the Company is a leading provider of production management services for oil and gas production facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.