Abu Dhabi Aviation Co. ( ar, شركة طيران أبوظبي) () is an airline based in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates. It serves oil-fields and economic facilities in the United Arab Emirates and other Arab states. Its main base is

Abu Dhabi International Airport Abu Dhabi International Airport ( ar, مطار أبو ظبي الدولي) is an international airport in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The airport, located east of Abu Dhabi city, is the second largest in ...

. Abu Dhabi Aviation is the largest commercial helicopter operator in the Middle East, operating and owning 58 aircraft in total comprising 51 helicopters. (16 AgustaWestland AW139s, 22 Bell 412s, 12 Bell 212s, 1 EC-135), and 7 fixed-wing aircraft (DHC-8). The company employs over 1000 personnel, including 130 pilots and 250 engineers. The bulk of the company's business activity is in support of Abu Dhabi offshore oil and engineering and construction companies. Other business activities include medical evacuation, aerial construction, survey, photography, charter, and providing VVIP passenger transportation services. All aerial spraying of crops in the UAE and the majority of aerial spraying in Oman is carried out by ADA. Abu Dhabi Aviation Group companies are: Maximus Air, ADA Millennium, ADAIRE, Abu Dhabi Aviation Training Center, Royal Jet, Agusta Westland Aviation Services LLC, ADA Real Estate Management and General Maintenance LLC. Abu Dhabi Aviation Training Center (ADATC) is a pilot training service provider for commercial and military pilots utilizing CAE full flight level "D" simulators; AW139, Bell 412, EMB 145 and King Air 350.

History

The airline was established in 1975 and started operations in March 1976. It began with helicopter operations and added fixed-wing aircraft in 1991. A third-party maintenance facility was opened in 1994. It is owned by Abu Dhabi nationals (70%) and the Abu Dhabi government (30%) and has 960 employees (at March 2013). By 1983, the fleet size had increased to a total of 34 aircraft, flying over 38,800 hours annually, an average of over 100 hours per day. In 1985, Abu Dhabi Aviation was authorised to operate fixed-wing aircraft and to conduct third-party aircraft maintenance. In 1991, Abu Dhabi Aviation was awarded its first fixed-wing aircraft contract. This contract, with the largest oil company in the UAE, is now operated with three new DHC-8 aircraft. Abu Dhabi Aviation has completed contracts throughout the Middle East and beyond, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Sultanate of Oman, Republic of Yemen, Spain, Pakistan, Eritrea, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Australia, India, Afghanistan and Indonesia. Seismic surveys in search of oil and other natural resources have been completed using specialist underslung load techniques using a "long line", thus enabling the helicopter to remain clear of obstructions. The same technique has been used to conduct other work, such as erecting pylons, as part of government schemes to bring electricity to remote areas, and construction of microwave towers. ADA has operated one Bell 212 helicopter in support of long-term contracts for a major oil company in the Republic of Yemen. The company has a firefighting contract in Spain. ADA is approaching 1,000,000 flight hours in helicopters and over 55,000 hours in fixed-wing aircraft. Bell Helicopter awarded Abu Dhabi Aviation with a plaque to commemorate the completion of 700,000 helicopter hours. The high intensity of offshore oil support work has required an annual average of approximately 200,000 landings and take-offs. In an average month, 15,000 passengers and of freight are transferred to and from offshore areas. In addition, over 11,000 passengers are moved between offshore locations.

Abu Dhabi Aviation Strategic Organization Structure View

Fleet

The Abu Dhabi Aviation fleet includes the following aircraft: *2 Bombardier Dash 8 Q200 *3

Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier Aerospace, Bombard ...

Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...

*17

AgustaWestland AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...

*12

Bell 212 The Bell 212 (also known as the ''Twin Two-Twelve'') is a two-blade, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, production was moved to Mirabel, Quebec, Canada in ...

*22 Bell 412 EP & EPi *1

Eurocopter EC 135 The Eurocopter EC135 (now Airbus Helicopters H135) is a twin-engine civil light utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly known as Eurocopter). It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and is outfitted with ...

AgustaWestland AW169 The AgustaWestland AW169 is a twin-engine, 10-seat, 4.8t helicopter developed and manufactured by the helicopter division of Leonardo (formerly AgustaWestland, merged into Finmeccanica since 2016). It was designed to share similarities with the ...

References

External links

Abu Dhabi Aviation
*Abu Dhabi Aviatio
helicopter fleet
at Helis.com {{Airlines of the United Arab Emirates Airlines of the United Arab Emirates Airlines established in 1975 Companies based in Abu Dhabi Companies listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange Emirati companies established in 1975