Bristow Helicopters Fire Over 100 Pilots, Engineers

Bristow Helicopters on Tuesday announced it was relieving over 100 pilots and engineers of their jobs due to the severe impact of COVID-19.

In a statement signed by management, Bristow disclosed that it had engaged with the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) to negotiate a fair and equitable redundancy compensation for the sacked employees.

The airline stated that it has been affected adversely by COVID-19 and would use the period to now restructure all aspects of its business model.

The statement said, “The spread of the Covid-19 virus has severely impacted all sectors in the aviation industry, including our market, which primarily serves the Nigerian oil and gas sector. In addition, the ongoing downturn in the global oil and gas market continues to influence and determine the demand for our services.

“The combined effects of these ‘arisings’ have resulted in very significant reductions to our business particularly a reduction in the number of contracted aircraft in Nigeria. As a result, the company must now restructure all aspects of its business model (both rotary & fixed wing), including an extensive review of its operations and we continue to drive efficiencies, but with zero compromise to safety and our core values.

“One of these measures includes the right-sizing of the business to ensure that the company has the optimal level of personnel to continue the safe delivery of its services to its clients, whilst allowing the appropriate capacity for future growth. Accordingly, and with much regret, the company has taken the very difficult decision to release over 100 pilots and engineers (both nationals and expatriates) over the next couple of weeks.”