Page 11 - Danish Offshore Industry 2020

Bel Air had to reshuffle the deck when the helicopter operator’s
three largest contracts in its core market in the North Sea went to IT WAS A TOUGH
competitors in 2017. This has led Bel Air to new markets and, not
PERIOD, BUT WE HAVE
least, new realisations about their own skills.
FOUND NEW AREAS
AND NEW CUSTOMERS

FOR NEW WORK.
WHAT WE’VE BEEN

THROUGH TOGETHER
HAS MADE US A MORE

CLOSE-KNIT TEAM,
AND WE ARE CONTIN-

UING TO WORK
DILIGENTLY TO

REGAIN CONTRACTS
IN THE DANISH PART

OF THE NORTH SEA,

SAYS FOUNDER AND PILOT
SUSANNE HESSELLUND, WHO
REMAINS THE OWNER-MANAGER
OF THE DANISH COMPANY

Bel Air was built to service operators, primarily in the
Danish part of the North Sea. But the company also had
good contacts with other operators and potential mar-
kets that they had not pursued earlier. The contacts and
opportunities were utilised.

“On 2nd July, 2017 – two days after we lost the contracts
– five employees flew to Den Helder by helicopter and
began servicing Wintershall with ad hoc flights, and on
The two important contracts had been the basis for an 7th July, we had the first external AW189 helicopter in
operation which involved 75 employees and five helicop- for its one-year servicing. Within a week, we started per-
ters and ran from the base in Esbjerg Airport, and with forming new tasks,” Susanne Hessellund says.
the lost flights, the company was largely left with ad hoc
assignments, which also suffered from low oil prices. AN EXTENDED BUSINESS AREA
Ad hoc flights for Wintershall later developed into a
“It was completely quiet,” Susanne Hessellund recalls. permanent contract, and at the beginning of 2020, Bel
Air started a three-year contract with an option for
PLAN B CAME INTO PLAY extension with Wintershall and established a base of
Bel Air had been banking on winning the contracts again operations in Den Helder.
but had also been preparing for the scenario they now
faced. Plan B was put into action. It was a plan which “We have been selected for the qualities which I”m
required a significant reorganisation of the business and proud of: That we have a strong and competent team
streamlining of the organisation, but one which also which is focused on servicing the customer optimally
opened up new opportunities in another set-up. and that we are an agile operator with decision-making ▲

9 / BEL AIR HAS CARVED OUT A NEW MARKET