Press Release

Omni, the only Brazilian civil operator approved by ANAC to hoist people by winch, supported an exploratory operation with aircraft equipped with this equipment for possible rescue at sea.

Rio de Janeiro, July 31, 2024 – At the end of June, Omni Táxi Aéreo, an affiliate of Omni Helicopters International (OHI) Group, successfully concluded an international operation, this time in Argentina, to support the exploratory operation of Equinor’s CAN block, located 300 km away from Mar del Plata. The aircraft were specially prepared with an electric winch for rescue at sea. While one remained on land, the other made regular passenger changes. The operation was carried out in partnership with the Argentine company Helicópteros Marinos, a traditional local helicopter operator with over 35 years of activity, which provided all the commercial, logistical, customs and local civil aviation authority (ANAC) support.

Omni is the only Brazilian civil operator approved by ANAC to hoist people by winch, whose team, in addition to the pilots, is made up of a winch operator and, in some cases, a rescue diver. All the professionals undergo regular training to carry out this type of mission. Beyond Brazil, the OHI Group offers this type of operation at its affiliate in Guyana, where it operates a Sikorsky S92 aircraft dedicated to search and rescue missions, equipped with the most modern equipment in the industry in this segment, a double winch and a triple stretcher for patients.

“We are proud of our work. We ended the operation with many compliments from our partner Helicópteros Marinos and our end customer. We had the opportunity to experience different operational situations that we don’t find in Brazil, which enriched our knowledge and qualifies us even more for new challenges,” says Décio Galvão, Commercial Director of Omni Táxi Aéreo.

For the contract execution Omni deployed two AW139 helicopters, pilots, mechanics, flight coordinators and all the technical support needed for the operation. The operation lasted 64 days, with a total of 111 flights, 239 flight hours in Argentina, 1228 passengers transported and 100% operational availability on both helicopters, with no accidents or incidents reported.

According to Décio Galvão, these are important figures for the operation. “We know that the atmospheric conditions offshore southern Argentina are extremely challenging, with strong winds, cloud cover, shorter days and freezing water temperatures. It was necessary to integrate all the planning, coordination and execution of the multidisciplinary teams that made this operation possible, requiring a series of activities before the operation could start.”