CHC Group has opened a certified hoist facility to train offshore workers, SAR operators and technical crew members in onshore and offshore hoist operations. The facility, located at the company's Den Helder base in the Netherlands, has been designed to resemble a Leonardo AW139 cabin and can also be used to simulate AW169 hoist ops.

Regional director Mark Abbey says: "As a global helicopter operator, CHC has a long history of innovation, global standards and investment in new technology and this is another example of how we meet the needs of our customers across the SAR, oil and gas and renewables markets.

"We have already received positive feedback on the training from our launch customers, which included one of the major global oil and gas operators."