20,000 have signed a petition for the helicopter Super Puma EC225 to be taken out of use, according to newspaper Bergens Tidende.
Norwegian CAA has introduced a flying ban for this helicopter type after Friday’s accident at Turøy, where 13 people were killed in this type of helicopter.
A petition aimed at the British government has collected 20,000 signatures demanding that the Super Puma should be suspended permanently. Several Norwegian offshore workers have joined the petition,writes newspaper Bergens Tidende.
– I’ve never felt completely safe in the Super Puma. There is much discontent amongst people when we see that this is the helicopter that will fly us out, says Geir Skorpen, a fire and gas technician working on Statfjord C.
Super Puma helicopters have been involved in five accidents over four years in the UK. The manufacturer Airbus Helicopters have concluded that it is not necessary to suspend this type of helicopter.
– However, we have respect for the decision of the aviation authorities in Norway and the UK, who have chosen to suspend commercial flights with these helicopters in the interests of those affected, said their spokesman Guillaume Steuer.
The petition was announced by the newspaper Haugesund Avis. Previously it had 10,000 endorsements.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
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