A NEW state-of-the-art helicopter has landed at Prestwick Airport as part of a new £1.6 billion civilian contract for search and rescue.
The Sikorsky S-92 aircraft is operated by Bristow Helicopters Ltd on behalf of HM Coastguard after the US-headquartered firm won the deal, ending 70 years of a service run by the RAF and Royal Navy squadrons.
It means the red and white helicopter, one of two to be based in Ayrshire, will replace the Sea King aircraft when the civilian service takes over from the military and begins operations in January.
Samantha Willenbacher, director of UK search and rescue at Bristow Helicopters, said the arrival of the helicopter was an "exciting milestone".
She said: "The crews all feel privileged to be delivering this vital public service and are eager to get started.
“The training programme which we will be working through over the next couple of months is an essential part of preparations. It will involve night-time missions and some short periods of high activity levels. We will make every effort to minimise the disturbance to the local community and thank them in advance for their patience and support as we deliver this lifesaving service."
Ms Willenbacher said HMS Gannet, which houses the existing search and rescue service, had helped in a "smooth transition from the military to civilian service".
She added: "We have enjoyed working closely with our military colleagues and have enormous respect for the decades of outstanding service it has delivered to local communities.”
Jules Matteoni, Glasgow Prestwick Airport Aviation Services, Fire and Security Director, said: "We hope that the significant investment made by Bristow to base its operations here demonstrates the value that they ascribe to working in partnership with an experienced aviation base – we’ve hosted search and rescue at the airport for more than 40 years."
The SAR helicopter base at Prestwick Airport is one of ten bases from which the UK SAR contract will be delivered, five of which are already live.
They include Inverness airport, Stornoway and Sumburgh.
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