The Nation Newspaper

Tag: OAS Helicopters

  • UAE firm partners OAS Helicopters on logistics  

    United Arab Emirates helicopter company Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) has signed an agreement with Nigerian aircraft charter operator OAS Helicopters to provide logistics services for oil and gas operations

    Part of the terms of the agreement include the acquisition and arrival of ADA’s 15-seater full offshore equipped helicopter AW-139 with registration number A6-AWH at OAS’ newTerminal  NAFBASE Airport, Port Harcourt, last week.

    The aircraft arrival completed the take off of ADA and OAS’ relationship, which had been undergoing technical and legal structuring since 2015.

    In the relationship, Abu Dhabi Aviation is coming with long years of successful oil and gas helicopter support experiences, which started since 1976 and has developed to over 60 aircraft in active operation.

    The aircraft has over 1,000,000 flight hours supporting oil and gas exploration throughout the countries of the Middle East, Brazil, Spain, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

    According to Abu Dhabi Aviation’s AFB Contracts manager, Kevin Den Hertog, ”ADA had always wanted to invest in Nigeria but  had searched and waited to find a reliable and resilient partner, which eventually clicked with OAS’ history and ability to remain firm in operation for over 10years despite daunting challenges.

    He said with the level of implementation on the proposed business plan so far, his company was confident that the OAS and ADA partnership will enrich the Nigeria oil and gas aviation.

    “Important to our success over the years has been an ever increasing engagement with strategic partners worldwide in the formation of healthy joint ventures that support oil and gas exploration in the deepest possible offshore with impeccable safety records,” Hertog said.

    The company’s Nigeria operations Lead Pilot, Capt. Westwood James, added that the ADA and OAS technical partnership was structurally designed to guarantee and deliver credible, safe and stable services in Nigeria’s oil and gas aviation, and that they are here in Nigeria to drive the design to excellence.

    On his part , OAS Managing Director and CEO, Capt Evarest Nnaji, described the  kick off of the partnership as  a landmark .

    He said the arrival and the physical presence of ADA crew and equipment was one investment step Nigeria aviation will enjoy moving forward, especially in the area of oil and gas aircraft support services.

    He said:  ”We looked at ADA’s capacity to play at the highest echelons in the oil and gas aviation support, and their ability and willingness to build and transfer know-how in all the other international environments where they operate, and concluded that not only is ADA valuable to huge business profitability, but that they are equally reputable for reliable and consistent long term business relationship.

    Nnaji said ADA’s safety record, volume of investment and ability to deliver excellent services even in the most difficult environment speaks for itself.

    He added that OAS’ huge desire to provide services that meet the best possible international standard for Nigeria’s oil and gas aviation was the driving force in the relationship with ADA.

  • ADA, OAS partner to provide helicopter services for offshore operations in Nigeria

    ADA, OAS partner to provide helicopter services for offshore operations in Nigeria

    United Arab Emirates helicopter company, Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) has completed steps to invest in the Nigerian economy by joining forces with indigenous aircraft charter operator, OAS Helicopters.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ADA’s 15-seater full offshore equipped helicopter, AW-139, with registration number A6-AWH, arrived at the at OAS new Terminal at the Port Harcourt Airport on Thursday

    Confirming the partnership to newsmen in Lagos, ADA’s Representative, Mr Kevin Den Hertog, said the company had always wanted to invest in Nigeria but had been looking for a reliable partner which had been in helicopter operations for over a decade.

    He said : “With the level of implementation on the proposed business plan so far, we are quite confident that OAS and ADA partnership will enrich the Nigeria oil and gas aviation.

    “Important to our success over the years has been an ever increasing engagement with strategic partners worldwide in the formation of healthy joint ventures that support oil and gas exploration in the deepest possible offshore with impeccable safety records.”

    Also speaking, the company’s Nigeria operations Lead Pilot, Capt. Westwood James, said ADA and OAS technical partnership was structurally designed to guarantee and deliver credible, safe and stable services in Nigeria oil and gas aviation.

    On his part, the Managing Director of OAS, Capt Evarest Nnaji, said the practical kick off of the partnership had started with the arrival and the physical presence of ADA crew and equipment in Nigeria.

    Nnaji said : “We looked at ADA’s capacity to play at the highest echelons in the oil and gas aviation support, and their ability and willingness to build and transfer know-how in all the other international environments where they operate.

    “We concluded that not only is ADA valuable to huge business profitability, but that they are equally reputable for reliable and consistent long term business relationship.

    “Their safety record, volume of investment and ability to deliver excellent services even in the most difficult environment speaks for itself.”

    He added that the airline’s huge desire to provide services that meet the best possible international standard for Nigeria oil and gas aviation was the main driving force in the relationship with ADA.

  • AMCON takes over OAS Helicopters

    AMCON takes over OAS Helicopters

    Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has taken over  Odengene Air Shuttle Services (OAS) Helicopters in Lagos.
    The takeover came after a court order, according to Spokesman of AMCON, Jude Nwauzor, yesterday.
    But he did not give details on the takeover .
    It was, however learnt that the AMCON management yesterday sealed off the head office of the helicopter firm at Maryland in Lagos,
    The AMCON management is expected to appoint a receiver-manager. OAS Helicopters is among the 10 airlines that benefitted from the over N120 billion aviation intervention funds given a few years ago.
    The Order on the company’s office reads: “Possession taken today 14/2/17 by amcon by court order on suit no. FHC/4CS/1139/2016.”
    OAS Helicopters is the fourth airline to be taken over by AMCON in the last one year.
    AMCON last week took over Arik Air, following after Aero and Afrijet airlines.

  • AMCON takes over OAS Helicopters

    AMCON takes over OAS Helicopters

    The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has taken over Odengene Air-Shuttle Services (OAS) Helicopters in Lagos following a court order.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that AMCON had on Tuesday sealed the company at Maryland in Lagos, indicating that the company had been taken over by AMCON.

    The order on the company’s office reads: “POSSESSION TAKEN TODAY 14/2/17 BY AMCON COURT ORDER ON SUIT NO. FHC/4CS/1139/2016

    NAN may not authoritatively confirm if the company is indebted to some banks that could have warrant such take over.

    However, the company was among the airlines that received the Federal Government intervention fund during the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    A source at the premises told NAN that the notice by AMCON said it all that the company had been taken over following a court order.

    OAS is one of the leading helicopter chatter service companies in the country.

    It will be recalled that AMCON had on Thursday Feb.9, took over the management of Arik Air.

    AMCON said that the development would save Arik Airlines currently immersed in heavy financial debt burden that was threatening to permanently ground the airline.

    For some time now, the airline, which carries about 55 per cent of the load in the country, has been going through difficult times.

    These are attributable to its bad corporate governance, erratic operational challenges, inability to pay staff salaries and heavy debt burden among other issues.

    AMCON had earlier taken over the management of Aero Contractors in 2016.

    The airline is currently not doing well after the take-over. (NAN)