Bristow Group signed a contract at the Heli-Expo show for 17 new Airbus H175 medium twins. The March 4 deal increases the size of Bristow’s previous order for 12 of the helicopters placed in 2013. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in October 2016.

The parties declined to affix a monetary value to the transaction. However, various public sources peg the individual retail price of the H175 (previously known as the EC175) at $14.7 million.

According to Bristow CEO Jonathan Baliff, the long-term deal included provisions for “airline-style support” from Airbus. “I issued a challenge to the industry at Helitech a few months ago,” he said. “As Bristow purchases helicopters in larger volumes, we look to partner with aircraft manufacturers who will step up to more comprehensive airline-style purchase and support agreements. We commend Airbus Helicopters for being the first partner to proactively share risk and responsibilities and commit to work closely with Bristow throughout the entire lifecycle of aircraft ownership.”