Nautilus Aviation, a helicopter service provider based in Northern Australia, has taken delivery of five customised Bell 407GXi aircraft from Jet Aviation. The delivery is part of a total order of five aircraft sold and reconfigured by Jet Aviation for charter, utility and tourism work.
The five aircraft were sold by Jet Aviation, a Bell independent representative in Australia, and fully customised for specialist use at Jet Aviation Bankstown. The modifications included role equipment installation, including air-conditioning, emergency pop-out floats, emergency locator transmitters and cabin audio, in addition to regular aircraft reassembly from shipping. Jet Aviation also managed the issuance of the Australian certificate of airworthiness. The first aircraft was delivered to Nautilus in Q4 2022, with the final aircraft delivered in Q2 2023.
“We pride ourselves on offering our customers a full, personalised in-house service, from sale of the aircraft to full customisation and ongoing MRO,” said Ian D’Arcy, vice president, MRO operations Pacific and rotary sales. “The delivery of these five aircraft is the latest milestone in our decades-long relationship with Nautilus, and we are honoured to remain their partner of choice for rotary sales, bespoke modification and MRO. As a Bell independent representative and customer service facility, Jet Aviation has delivered a total of 13 new Bell aircraft in Australia and New Zealand in the past year, cementing our position as one of the foremost rotary partners in the region.”
The aircraft were reconfigured to ensure they meet a wide range of requirements, including transporting charter passengers and tourists, and utility and support work such as flood relief efforts and firefighting.
“One of our primary reasons for selecting the Bell 407 GXi aircraft as the flagship of our fleet was the versatility of the airframe and the upgrades made to enhance both customer and pilot experiences,” said Aaron Finn, CEO of Nautilus Aviation. “The aftersales support has been exceptional and we continue to work closely with Jet Aviation and Bell on specialised maintenance programmes and training for our teams across all company bases.”
Jet Aviation has some five rotary customisation and maintenance facilities in Australia and the Middle East, including two RBI Hawker facilities in partnership with Bell Helicopters. The company also offers helicopter sales in both geographies and is a Bell independent representative and customer service facility in Australia.
