Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to improve offshore workers’ confidence in the safety of commercial helicopter transport in the North Sea oil and gas industry.

In 2014 the CAA published a comprehensive strategic safety review of offshore public transport helicopter operations in support of the exploitation of oil and gas. Following this review the CAA announced a series of measures to increase the safety of offshore helicopter flights. These measures included:

• Prohibiting helicopter flights in the most severe sea conditions, so that the chance of a ditched helicopter capsizing is reduced and a rescue can be safely undertaken.
• Pending further safety improvements to helicopters, passengers will only be able to fly if they are seated next to an emergency window exit to make it easier to get out of a helicopter in an emergency (unless helicopters are fitted with extra flotation devices or passengers are provided with better emergency breathing systems).
• Requiring all passengers to have better emergency breathing equipment to increase underwater survival time unless the helicopter is equipped with side floats.

Following the fatal accident of a H225 helicopter in Norway in April 2016, two helicopter types, popularly known as Super Pumas, were restricted from being used commercially by UK and Norwegian operators. The restrictions have been lifted after receiving extensive information from the Norwegian accident investigators and being satisfied with the subsequent changes introduced by Airbus Helicopters through detailed assessment and analysis. The CAA would not have made this decision unless they were convinced that the changes to the helicopters and their maintenance restore the required airworthiness standards.

The CAA continues to work with the helicopter operators, the offshore industries, international regulators, unions and pilot representatives to enhance offshore safety standards still further.