Egypt Airshow: PAS raises the game with Leonardo

At the show yesterday, representatives of both companies signed an agreement to upgrade PAS’s status from its current level of recognised service centre for Leonardo’s commercial helicopter products.

PAS has deployed Leonardo’s AW139 helicopters since 2009 to provide services for Egypt’s oil and gas industry. The aircraft are used to support the oil and gas industry through offshore transport and expansion in the eastern Mediterranean. The company provides maintenance services for Leonardo aircraft operated by several third-party operators, including Saudi Aramco and the Royal Jordanian Air Force. Authorised service centre status will allow PAS to add more services and greater spare parts management to benefit customers.

PAS has a fleet of 31helicopters from AgustaWestland, Airbus and Bell and is the sole provider of air transportation services to Egypt’s oil and gas industry. The operator is owned 75% by the Egypt Petroleum Company and 25% by US-based helicopter operator Bristow.

PAS also has a fixed-wing fleet of three De Havilland Canada (DHC) CRJ900 regional jets and five DHC Dash 8-300 turboprops that are used for recently introduced scheduled and charter flights. Most flights are domestic, with regional services to neighbouring countries such as Turkiye, Cyprus and Lebanon. Charters are a B2B business, with flights sold to tourism companies, which then sell the seats to the public.

The CRJs operate one scheduled international service between Cairo and Aqaba, Jordan, with services to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, due to begin “very soon”, according to PAS general manager, public relations, Nancy Sameh.

“We want to upgrade and increase the fleet – more helicopters and upgrade the fixed-wing fleet,” Sameh added, with more helicopters being the priority, to meet growing demand from customers. Both helicopters and the DHC 8-300s can be outfitted with a VIP cabin configuration, if necessary.

The company is headquartered in Cairo, but has eight sites around the country, with an MRO base at Alexandria’s Borg El Arab airport.