In late May 2023, Bristow Helicopters won the tender to provide for Ireland's SAR needs for the next ten years. Here, the 1st new AW189 destined for that contract can be seen during a refueling stop in Switzerland, while being ferry flown from Milano to Aberdeen. There, it will be equipped with the necessary SAR mission equipment (as G-CMTP), before relocating to Ireland for training the flight crews, ground and offshore partners. The heli will be put into service on November 1, 2024 (by then with a EI-registration), starting to replace the current SAR S-92's operated by CHC Helicopters.

This photo is copyright © Adrian Romang, and may not be used or published in any way without permission.

It was added on 28 June 2024, and has since been viewed 656 times.