Era Group Begins S92 Flight Operations

Era Group Inc. (NYSE: ERA) ("Era"), a leading helicopter transport operator based in the United States, today announced that it has placed into service its first Sikorsky S92 heavy helicopter in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The first revenue flight occurred today as flight operations commenced under a contract with a large independent oil and gas company.

The S92 helicopter is the most advanced aircraft in Sikorsky's civil product line with an advanced health and usage monitoring system that sets a new level of reliability. Era's S92 helicopter features gross weight expansion (GWE) and the integrated Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) II options certified by the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year. The GWE increases the maximum take-off weight from 26,500 to 27,700 pounds, allowing Era to carry an additional 1,200 pounds of payload. In addition to the numerous safety features offered by the S92, the TCAS II takes aircraft safety to the next level with the addition of visual actions shown on the cockpit display as well as verbal guidance given to the pilot that advise on actions to take to avoid collision.

Chris Bradshaw, President & CEO of Era, said, "Era is delighted to introduce the multi-mission S92 helicopter to the Era fleet, providing our customers with additional alternatives for deepwater oil and gas missions and making Era the only diversified heavy helicopter operator in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The S92 helicopter further enhances Era's mission to provide safe, efficient and reliable helicopter transport services."