THE SHANNON Airport Search and Rescue (SAR) base has become the first in the country to go live with a state of the art system to save vital time in an emergency, and hopefully save lives too, providing emergency air support to the Irish Coast Guard.
A new AW189 helicopter was declared ‘go-live’ by Bristow Ireland, whose experienced aviation team went operational for the first time this month, ready to receive emergency taskings and deliver aviation support to the Irish Coast Guard.
Declaring ‘go-live’ is the culmination much work at Bristow Ireland, who was awarded the aviation contract last year to assist the Irish Coast Guard and develop what will be a “new era of search and rescue for the people of Ireland”.
Bristow said that the Shannon Airport SAR base is to be the first of four across the country to commence operations, together with a new fleet of six advanced SAR-configured helicopters that will help the organisation deliver a life-saving service as the phased transition to the new contract continues through to mid-2025.
AW189 helicopters are known as high-performance helicopters with a track record in delivering safe and effective search and rescue operations in extremely challenging environments.
“Getting to this stage is the culmination of years of work,” said SAR Irish Director, Philip Bartlett.
“Hitting ‘go-live’ is a tremendous acknowledgement of the effort everyone has put in. It signals a historic moment for Bristow Ireland and an important chapter in emergency response for the people of Ireland.”
Over recent weeks, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has awarded Bristow Ireland the required approvals for specialist flight operations, engineering, training, and SAR activities, which will ensure the teams continue to operate to the highest standards and are able to provide life-saving air support to the Irish Coast Guard when it’s needed most.
Meanwhile, framework agreements with trade unions will support the continued transition of specialist helicopter pilots and engineers to Bristow Ireland, allowing them to develop new skills and capabilities and to continue their work with a new, modern aircraft fleet and in new facilities.
Simultaneously, new aircraft and equipment are being procured, modified and tested, and detailed training programmes activated to ensure a seamless transition to the new service.
