HeliOffshore publishes Eighth Annual Industry Safety Performance Report
HeliOffshore is pleased today to publish its 8th Annual Industry Safety Performance Report, covering the period 2013-2025.
The report compiles data gathered from operators, OEMs, and industry bodies, combined with information from partner agencies and regulators – and is the only report providing a global perspective on the safety performance of the offshore aviation industry over the last 12 years.
The report shows that, over the five years from 2021 to 2025, Western OEM helicopters transporting passengers for the offshore energy industry were involved in 20 accidents; 10 of which were fatal, resulting in 27 fatalities. In 2025, there was one confirmed non-fatal accident. This equates to an estimated five-year fatal accident rate of 3.22 per million flight hours, or 1.43 per million sectors.
This data is a stark reminder that there is much more we must do to meet our mission to ensure no lives are lost in offshore aviation.
The HeliOffshore industry report identifies trends in accident data to focus industry-wide efforts on the most pressing challenges. The three most common causes of fatal accidents from 2013 – 2025 remain: loss of control in flight (LOC-I); controlled flight into terrain or water (CFIT); and system or component failure or malfunction (SCF). Our Safety Performance Model is driven by this data, and outlines Accident Prevention Goals and best practice resources developed specifically to address them.
Commenting on the results of the report, Dr Matthew Greaves, HeliOffshore’s Safety Intelligence Programme Director, said: “As a community, our unwavering focus today must be on driving the implementation of best practice around the world. Through working together openly, our industry has built the foundations for safety excellence. We have gathered and analysed the data, defined standards, and developed a library of recommended best practice documents that we know will save lives. But progress on paper is not enough. Action is needed today to protect and support our colleagues who travel offshore around the world every day”.
Tim Rolfe, Chief Executive Officer, HeliOffshore, added: “Best practice only matters when it reaches the frontline. This latest industry report holds a mirror up against us all – and the reflection isn’t pretty. We can, and must, do better. Our mission is no longer solely about developing guidance or exploring possibilities. It is about demanding and delivering results. We must turn commitment into capability, and capability into consistent action. Lives are at stake, and the one action that is not acceptable, is to do nothing.”.
The data in this report and the implementation of best practice to address the leading causes of incidents and accidents identified will be discussed at HeliOffshore’s upcoming Conference & AGM in Madrid.
To read the full Industry Safety Performance Report, visit HeliOffshore Industry Report (helioffshore-industry-report.org).