News & Views

Padraig Conneely 

SVP, Technical Operations, LCI

The ability to plan, manage and complete aircraft transitions is an integral part of a lessor’s operations.

Over the previous twelve months, the LCI team have been working on a complex but rewarding transition of aviation assets from South America to the UK.  These will support the re-launch of Bond Helicopters.  LCI and Bond Helicopters have worked together successfully in the past, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver the first three aircraft for their new fleet.

In January 2024, three Leonardo AW139s will commence operations with Bond Helicopters from their base in Norwich, UK, where they will support Perenco’s gas operations in the North Sea. Getting Bond’s distinct red helicopter livery to market on time and within budget was not something LCI took lightly, and is one we are delighted to have delivered on.

But how was this achieved?

• The redelivery project involved many months of advanced planning by the in-house technical, legal and operational teams.
• This included the re-negotiation of lease returns, the acceleration of heavy maintenance inspections, and complex redelivery processes and logistics.
• Working closely with Bond over many months, both in the UK and South America, LCI’s technical team leveraged significant asset, industry and project management experience to ensure all parties shared the same critical path and timeline.
• This was augmented with both physical, in-country staff placements, and also the use of collaborative digital tools across multiple time zones.
• We collectively ensured ground and sea logistics came together on time and ready to go.  

Naturally, none of this would have been possible without the excellent co-operation and assistance of our operator partners. 

Our team is proud to successfully deliver complex, international, multi-aircraft transitions like this one. Faced with a variety of challenges, we leveraged our core competencies of teamwork, innovation, perseverance, flexibility and, most importantly, communication to execute successfully for our customers.

We wish the team at Bond Helicopters many years of successful operations.

To discuss asset ownership, transition and management, contact the LCI technical team at info@lciaviation.com

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