Equinor moves in on the Bell 525, making it one of the early operators of the fly-by-wire super medium.
Bell has announced a signed purchase agreement with Equinor for 10 Bell 525s for North Sea offshore operations, with deliveries expected to begin in 2026. In its pre-Heli-Expo briefing to the trade media, Bell said that it expects the long-awaited certification of the 525 to be granted by the end of the second quarter. Meanwhile, production is underway at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center, with offshore-configured aircraft expected to come off the line later this year.
“Our relationship with Equinor will enhance the standard of innovation for oil and gas missions and North Sea operations,” said Danny Maldonado, Chief Commercial Officer of Bell. “The Bell 525 technology provides a generational leap forward and will revolutionise offshore oil and gas operations by providing enhanced safety capabilities, reliability and optimised operations.”
