New Brazil S-92 support hub targets offshore oil and gas operators

(WO) — Heli-One has opened the first Sikorsky-authorized S-92 customer support center in Brazil, expanding maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities for offshore helicopter operators across South America.

Located in Cabo Frio, the facility is the first phase of a broader S-92 Center of Excellence being developed by Heli-One in collaboration with Sikorsky and Milestone Aviation. The center will provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance services, with future plans including parts provisioning and component overhaul and repair capabilities.

The investment is aimed at supporting a regional fleet of approximately 40 S-92 helicopters, many of which are used to transport personnel to offshore oil and gas installations. Milestone owns 17 of those aircraft, according to the companies.

“We are proud to bring Heli-One’s specialist MRO capabilities to Brazil with the opening of this new customer support centre,” said Kevin Spengler, president of Heli-One. He said the facility is expected to improve maintenance turnaround times and parts availability for operators throughout the region.

Sikorsky noted that offshore energy developments continue moving farther from shore, increasing the need for locally based maintenance and support infrastructure for helicopter operators.

“As the energy industry extends platforms farther out to sea, and demand for offshore transport grows, it is essential that S-92 operators receive skilled and dedicated support services close to their home base of operations,” said Leon Silva, VP of Sikorsky’s Global Commercial and Advanced Programs.

The opening comes as Sikorsky ramps up production of its latest S-92A+ variant. The company announced earlier this year that it is establishing a new production line in the United States and expects to have capacity to build up to 12 aircraft annually by 2028.

A majority of the global S-92 fleet is currently deployed in offshore oil and gas transportation, making the aircraft one of the industry's primary heavy-lift helicopter platforms for offshore crew transfer operations.