*Photograph: Liam Burke
A NEW aviation service for the Irish Coast Guard has been launched at Shannon Airport.
In what has been hailed as “a significant milestone” for the Irish Coast Guard, a new aviation service acting as a landmark enhancement to national search and rescue (SAR) and maritime environmental monitoring capabilities has been launched in Shannon.
Bristow Ireland in 2023 was announced as the preferred bidder for the ten-year contract to provide the new Search and Rescue (SAR) Aviation Contract for the Department of Transport and Irish Coast Guard. The contract is worth €800m.
Two years on, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rails and Ports, Seán Canney (IND) was in Shannon to officially launch the service. It includes six purpose-built AW189 helicopters based at Waterford, Sligo, Dublin and Shannon. For the first time, the Coast Guard will also deploy a 24-hour fixed wing service, provided by two Beechcraft B200 King Air aircraft, also based at Shannon. This fleet will work as an integrated aviation service.
Bristow Ireland commenced SAR helicopter operations from Shannon in December 2024 utilising newly built AW189 helicopters, followed by the introduction of the 24/7 fixed wing service in May of this year. The process of them taking over had been delayed by a month. Over 200 missions have been completed over the last nine months.
According to officials within the Coast Guard the addition of the fixed-wing element brings with it “a new component and brings in a new workforce to support that, it has resulted in a growing level of very specific, professional and dedicated skilled individuals which is quite common in this region from an aviation perspective being based here in Shannon, it is a positive news story”.
Last month, the Dublin-based service commenced operations from Weston Airport which signified the end of 27 years of Coast Guard helicopter services operating out of Dublin Airport. The other two bases in Waterford and Sligo will transition over the coming months.
Speaking in Shannon, Junior Minister Canney stated, “This is a pivotal moment for Ireland’s maritime safety and environmental stewardship. The Coast Guard is one of the four principal emergency services, and this expanded helicopter fleet, and the introduction of 24/7 fixed-wing operations means the organisation is better equipped than ever to deliver enhanced inland, coastal and offshore search and rescue services in addition to provision of 24/7 aeromedical support to HSE and our offshore island communities”.
He added, “For the first time, the Coast Guard has a dedicated fixed wing aircraft which will enable it meet international obligations in proactive maritime environmental monitoring and pollution investigation, thus enhancing our overall awareness of any threats to our maritime environment, covering an area of 132,000 square miles”.
“This is an investment not an expense, in an island nation we need to invest,” he outlined. He noted that the service has not been interrupted during the change of contract for CHS to Bristow.
CEO of Bristow Ireland, Philip Bartlett described it as “a very significant day” for a fixed wing element to be added to the Coast Guard’s service. He said their staff count has reached 189 and the added that the move from Dublin Airport to Weston was “a new change”.
Director of the Irish Coast Guard, Micheál O’Toole told The Clare Echo, “It is another significant milestone for the Coast Guard in terms of its aviation services, we’re marking what is the next generation of Coast Guard aviation and future proofing the Coast Guard as a service and an emergency service for the next ten years and ensuring we are there and able to respond to not alone the challenges we face but the challenges into the future, it is a fantastic day for the Coast Guard in Co Clare”.
He continued, “What is important about this new contract, we’ve worked extremely well with CHS Ireland up to this point, we now have a new contract with Bristow Ireland, what is new is a fleet of six new helicopters, complimented by two fixed-wing aircraft, one which will be serviceable at all times, the fixed wing is a seachange for the Coast Guard, it provides an enhanced ability to search, to communicate with the other assets in the Coast Guard search environment and certainly provides additional support in terms of maritime to main awareness and maritime pollution response. The domain we operate is nearly ten times the size of Ireland so the fixed wing asset will be a great support in ensuring we are active in that space”.
