The US operator Era Helicopters signed in March 2006, a contract for the purchase of four EC225 helicopters. The EC225s will be the first aircraft of its kind to enter service in the Gulf of Mexico oil sector. The statement of Neill Osborne, President of Era Helicopters LLC:

“Our choice focused naturally on the EC225. It’s a latest generation helicopter in the pure tradition of the Super Puma family like the AS332 L helicopters we’ve operated since the 1980s. The AS332’s have great performance in terms of range and speed as well as excellent payload capability. Our primary mission is to carry passengers to the offshore drilling rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. We fly on average 25,000 passengers in the region every month for our major customers.

Era operates a total of 33 AS350 A-Stars, two EC155s, eight EC120s, and fifteen BO105s. Many of our AS350 A-Stars are based in Alaska where they perform flightseeing flights and utility work. The rest of the fleet takes part in oil production operations from our 12 bases in the Gulf of Mexico. Our aircraft requirements vary with the number of passengers we have to carry per rotation and the distance to the offshore location. We frequently have flights beyond 200 miles offshore: that’s why the EC225s will really prove their worth. We’re also waiting for four EC135s to enter service in 2006. The 135s will also fly offshore support missions in the Gulf of Mexico. A decisive factor in our choice of the EC135 was its high level of safety."