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| Founded | 1949 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet size | 259 | ||||||
| Traded as | Nasdaq: PHIIK (non-voting) Russell 2000 Index component | ||||||
| Headquarters | Lafayette, Louisiana | ||||||
| Key people | James HinchCAO[1] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Petroleum Helicopters International, Inc. (PHI - Now PHI Aviation, LLC), is an American commercial helicopter operator, founded in 1949, by Robert L. Suggs.[2] The company is based inLafayette, Louisiana and provides service for theoil and gas industry,aeromedical services,pilot training andaircraft maintenance.[3][4]
In October 2017, PHI acquiredHelicopters (NZ) fromHNZ Group.[5]
On March 15, 2019, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[6]
On June 5, 2019, court-supervised arbitration announced an agreement to force the retirement of CEO Al Gonsoulin and strip him of his shares.[7]
PHI Inc. was founded by Robert L. Suggs and Maurice M. Bayon with a startup cost of $100,000, and threeBell 47 helicopters. They started by providing service to a seismographic group working in thewetlands ofLouisiana. The company's service extended to offshore drilling platforms in theGulf of Mexico, and grew their fleet with the addition of theSikorsky S-55 and theSikorsky S-58 helicopters.[8] Over the next couple of decades the company expanded their fleet to 300 helicopters, which was the biggest non-military group of aircraft.,[8][9] and constructed the world's largest heliport at Lake Palourde inMorgan City[10] In 1981 Petroleum Helicopters createdPHI Air Medical, and became a provider ofaeromedical services.[citation needed]
PHI Inc. owns or operates 259 aircraft domestically and internationally. 162 aircraft are dedicated to its Oil and Gas segment. 88 aircraft are dedicated to its Air Medical segment. They also operate five aircraft for theNational Science Foundation in Antarctica.[11][12]
| Aircraft | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bell 407 | ||
| Bell 206L | ||
| Bell 212 | ||
| Bell 412 | ||
| BK-117 | ||
| Eurocopter EC 135 | ||
| Eurocopter EC145 | ||
| Eurocopter AS350 | ||
| AW139 | ||
| Sikorsky S-76 | ||
| Sikorsky S-92 | 39 | |
| Total Number of Aircraft | 256 |
