Statoil Spokesmen Morten Eek told reporters “We have no plans to use this helicopter ever again, even if Norwegian authorities decide to lift the ban”

“It doesn’t matter what the Aviation Authorities say. We can specify the helicopter type we want to use and we have already built up capacity with a different helicopter. The Sikorsky S-92.”

All Super Puma EC225s were banned from flying in the wake of the fatal Norwegian crash which killed all 13 on board. The helicopter was returning back from Statoil’s Gullfaks B Platform when the tragedy unfolded.

The helicopters main rotor detached and sent the airframe plunging to the ground where it crashed into Norways rocky coastline near Turøy, just west of Solsvik.

Flight data reveals the aircraft dropped 2,100 feet in the last 10 seconds of flight. revealed the aircraft dropped 2,100 feet in the last 10 seconds of the flight.

Although the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) has lifted the ban, national aviation authorities in the UK and Norway have kept a ban in place pending the accident investigation outcome.

The move by statoil comes after oil workers have raised their concerns over the safety of the airframe and made it clear they do not want the helicopter to return to service.

The question that this move now raises is – will this be the start of a sector-wide ban on the airframe by operators throughout the North Sea?