British International Helicopters

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "British International Helicopters" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

British International Helicopters

IATA ICAO Call sign BS BIH BRINTEL
Founded	2000
Hubs	Coventry Airport, Newquay Airport, RAF Mount Pleasant
Subsidiaries	BIH (Onshore) British International Helicopter Services Patriot Aviation
Fleet size	10
Parent company	Bristow Group
Headquarters	Coventry Airport, Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Website	britishinternationalhelicopters.com

British International Helicopter Services (BIH), owned by Bristow Group, is a British-owned helicopter operator. It operates a fleet of ten helicopters covering search and rescue, offshore, defence, charter and flying training activities from its bases at Newquay Airport, Coventry Airport and RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands.

It operates from Newquay using two Eurocopter AS 365N2 Dauphin helicopters on behalf of the Royal Navy Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) based at HMS Drake in HMNB Devonport. A Sikorsky S-61 helicopter is also used on occasions for FOST duties.

In 2015, BIH as part of a wider group won a £180 million ten-year contract to operate from RAF Mount Pleasant with the contract commencing in 2016. Two Sikorsky S-61 helicopters were used for everyday military transport and land logistic support around the islands (until replaced by the Sikorsky S-92 in 2023), where there are few roads and a 12-mile (19 km) strip of sea separates the two main islands. Search and rescue is conducted using two AW189 helicopters.^[1]

Coventry Airport operator BIH (Onshore) functions as BIH's utilities division, servicing an operational workload that includes police and air ambulance capability, commercial helicopter support including surveying, pipeline patrols, TV mast calibration, load lifting, forestry and national park services and film work. BIH (Onshore) also maintains BIH's VIP and commercial charter business, flight training for both commercial and private pilots and helicopter engineering across a wide range of helicopter and aeroplane types.