National Jet extends Bristow's Barrow Island contract

Adelaide-based charter airline National Jet has secured a $25 million extension to its personnel transport contract with Bristow Helicopters Australia, connecting Perth with the company's Barrow Island base.

The full text of a company announcement is pasted below

National Jet has sealed a $25 million extension to its Barrow Island personnel transport contract with Bristow Helicopters and today introduced a larger 87-seat jet aircraft to cope with increasing demand.

The BAe 146-300 aircraft replaces a smaller BAe 146-200. It will connect Perth with Bristow's Integrated Aviation Consortium, operation on Barrow Island, which provides an integrated fixed-wing and helicopter personnel transport service for several resource companies including Apache, Chevron and BHP Billiton.

National Jet General Manager Regional Services, Greg Marshall, said the expansion with Bristow Helicopters was the result of an existing partnership which has been successful for both organisations.

"National Jet has grown through providing effective, safe air services to the Western Australian resource industry," he said.

"Our continuing relationship with Bristow Helicopters reflects our ability to change to meet the changing needs of our customers, providing safe, professional services, while retaining a healthy element of the flexibility for which National Jet is renowned."