By Ime Akpan
Lagos
The managing director of Bristow Helicopters, Capt. Akin Oni, has said that the airline spent $6 million (N971 million) on its helicopter maintenance hangar in Port Harcourt.
Speaking at a press conference held at the company’s headquarters in Lagos at the weekend, Oni said the hangar was not only built to carry out maintenance for Bristow Helicopters but also opened for other fixed wing operators in the country.
Describing the hangar as the “best and most equipped in Africa” Oni however said the hangar which had been equipped to carry out A, B, C and D checks was gutted by fire.
He said a substantial part of the hangar was destroyed saying it would require $2 million to fix it. He added that the company had saved about $1.5 million since it constructed the facility. “Bristow no longer ferries its helicopters overseas for maintenance,” he said.
Due to instability in public power supply, Oni said the company had built a $1.5 million micro turbine to replace the generators it was using.
On the training of pilots and engineers, he said the company had trained 20 engineers and pilots at the Bristow Helicopters Academy in Florida, United States, at the initial cost of $250,000.
“We would train and we consistently train Nigerians. Some of our trained pilots are working for our competitors. We are not worried as long as they are still working in Nigeria,” he added.