HELIKOPTERIPALVELU O/Y: Finland (1960-1999).

Oldest rotary-wing operations in Finland, Helikopteripalvelu (Helicopter Service) is established at Helsinki in 1960 to provide power line inspections. It later branches out into passenger and cargo charters, search and rescue, EMS, aerial photography, and flight training. Flying between November and March will continue to prove difficult.

In 1978, the company becomes Finnish distributor for the Robinson Helicopter Company. Still, throughout the 1980s the company’s main business remains power line inspection. Some 10-12% of Helikopteri-palvelu’s income is, however, now derived from passenger charters, including the transport of businessmen from Helsinki across the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn, Estonia.

By 1991, the company employs 10 workers, including 5 pilots. Fifteen other pilots are available on call, primarily from Finnair O/Y or the Finnish Frontier Guard. The fleet includes 2 Augusta A109s, 3 Robinson R-22, 3 Bell 206B JetRangers, and 1 Bell 206L LongRanger.

Newer activities include search and rescue and, on behalf of the police, speed checks using radar guns. In September, the carrier begins a six-month EMS test in the southern part of the nation.

Revenues total $1.8 million.

Service continues apace in 1992-1997. During these years, the carrier leases a Bell 212 from Helikopter Service, A. S. of Norway. It is employed on behalf of the Finnish Ministry of the Environment to fly oil pollution patrol and containment missions in the eastern archipelago. It is also engaged to test the possibility of Finnish civil offshore support; the trial will show the market to be insufficient.

In 1999, Managing Director Pekka Kannien oversees a 22-person workforce and enjoys annual revenues of $3.5 million. His fleet includes 1 Augusta 109, 1 Aerospatiale AS-355, 2 Eurocopter BO-105Cs, 1 Bell 206L LongRanger, 4 Bell 206B JetRangers, and 1 Robinson R-22.

In March, the operator is merged with cross-town Copter Action, O/Y to become Copterlines, O. Y.

HELIOPOLIS AIRLINES, S. A.E.: Egypt (1996-2000). Heliopolis is established at Cairo in late fall 1996 to offer nonscheduled charter and inclusive-tour fights to domestic and European destinations. A McDonnell Douglas MD-83 is leased and begins flights to Mediterranean holiday spots in late December.

Early in 1997, the MD-83 also begins tourist flights from Cairo to Sharma El Sheikh, Hurghada, and Luxor. Orders are placed for an MD-90-30, which is delivered in August. Unable to maintain viability, the company shuts down in June 1998.

Following an 18-month hiatus, Heliopolis is reborn at the beginning of 2000. Chartered from ILFC, a Boeing 737-3Q8 in a white color scheme is christened Karim and enters service on March 16; a second Boeing 737-3Q8, Shaza, follows. Unhappily, rising fuel costs and a poor summer season combine to force the company on October 22 to again cease operations.

HELIOS AIRWAYS, LTD.: Ria Court, No. 9, P. O. Box 52022, Lar-naca, 6028, Cyprus; Phone 357 (4) 815700; Fax 357 (4) 815701; Http://www. helios-airways. com; Code HCY; Year Founded 1998.

Helios is established in September 1998 as the first independent charter airline in Cyprus. It is majority-owned by TEA (Cyprus), a Cypriot offshore operator specializing in wet-leased Boeing 737 worldwide, with minority stakes held by various Swiss interests. A long gestation period will ensue before company flight activities actually begin.

At the beginning of 2000, CEO Markus Seiler has assembled a workforce of 90 ground and flying personnel. During the first quarter and into the second, the new airline, which is capitalized at ?3 million, secures contracts from the following tour operators: London-based Olympic Holidays, Golden Sun, Falcon Holidays, Profilo Mediterraneo of Milan, Warsaw-based Cypriosun Holidays, and Nicosia’s Louis Organisation.

The company’s first dedicated aircraft, a B-737-4Y0 leased from GECAS christened Athena and wearing an ancient figurehead depicting the Greek Sun god on its tail, arrives at Larnaca on May 17. After Helios receives its air operators certificate from the Cyprus Directorate on May 24, the new Boeing is employed on May 26 to inaugurate weekly Sunday roundtrips from Larnaca to London (LTN). B-737-4Y0 charters are operated from Cyprus to Bergamo and Verona, Italy, between June 12 and September 18. Other destinations visited include Milan and Warsaw.

As the year continues, preparations are made for the arrival of two B-737-86Ns in March and April 2001.

HELIPORTUGAL, LTDA.: Cascais Municipal Airport, Hangar 3, Cascais, 2785632, Portugal; Phone 351 (21) 445-1575; Fax 351 (21) 444-8067; Http://www. heliportugal. pt; Year Founded 1982. The oldest rotary-wing operator in Portugal, this concern is established in 1982 to provide fishery spotting, offshore oil rig support, air taxi and urgent-express delivery, aerial filming, and forest fire-fighting support. Over the next 18 years, the company spreads its wings across both Portugal and Spain, adding such missions to its portfolio as infrared inspection of power lines, life-line insulator spraying, forest fertilizing with differential GPS guidance, emergency medical services, power line pilot line placement, electronic journalism, and sling load work, such as the placement of antennas or air conditioning units.

Major customers for which services have been provided include SNB Service Nacional de Bombeiros, EDP Electricade de Portugal, SIC So-ciedade Independente de Communicacao, RTP Radio Televisao Por-tuguesa, Empresa Sevillana de Electricidad, Electricidad de Cataluna, Portucel, Soporcel, CELBI, CELPA Associacao das Empresas Produ-toras de Pasta de Papel, CME Construcoes e Manutencao Metalurgica, and Pinto & Bentes. The concern also joins the Flight Safety Foundation and the Helicopter Association International. Its maintenance arm becomes an authorized service center for both McDonnell Douglas Helicopters and Robinson Helicopter Company equipment.

Francisco Silva Passos is managing director in 1998, with G. Sousa Coutinho as operations director. The company now also provides a number of services to various sporting and entertainment industry projects. Among these are Portugal’s Bike Tour, Rallye TAP Air Portugal, Baja Telecel, and Beja 2000. It also provides filming for the RTL television series Der Clown, television commercials, and documentary films about Portugal for foreign television channels. It also provides support for the producers of the motion pictures Overkill and Hornblower, the latter seen in the U. S. over the Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E) in 1999.

Also, in January 1999, the company takes over competing HFS Portugal, Ltda. The fleet is increase to 4 Eurocopter AS-350B Ecureuils, 1 AS-355 Ecureuil Twin Star, 1 Robinson R44 Newscopter, and 2 McDonnell-Douglas MD 500s. In October 2000, Heliportugal becomes the first rotary-wing operator in the country to accept delivery of a new Eurocopter EC-120 Colibri.

HELISUL LINEAS AEREAS, LTDA.: Rua Bela Cintra, 2093, Sao Paulo, 01415, Brazil; Phone 55 (455) 231190; Fax 55 (455) 744114; Http://shsibm. shh. fi/~an944420/heli. htm; Code PE; Year Founded 1994. To take advantage of the recent increase in scheduled Brazilian regional airline operations, Helisul is established at Bacacheri Airport, in downtown Curitiba, in May 1994 as a subsidiary of the 32-year-old air taxi concern, Helisul Taxi Aereo, Ltda.

Flights commence with a fleet of 4 Embraer EMB-110P1 Ban-deirantes. After fall negotiations, the government authorizes the company in December to inaugurate scheduled flights linking Curitiba with Francisco Beltrao, Pato Branco, Guarapuava, Campo Mourao, Maringa, Apucarana, Cascavel, Blumenau, Joacaba, Concordia, Chapeco, and Sao Paulo.

The company also operates a rotary-wing fleet that comprises 3 Bell 206A and 2 Bell 206B JetRangers, plus 2 Eurocopter AS-350B A-Stars. These continue to offer helicopter flights in Rio de Janeiro on behalf of Helisight Viagens e Turismo, Ltda., services that now include regular operations from the Urca Hill (Sugar Loaf) helipad.

Operations continue apace in 1995. Five more communities in the southeastern states of Paran and Santa Caterina become scheduled destinations.

To supplement its domestic feeder routes, the rapidly expanding TAM (Transportes Aereos Regionais, Ltda.) purchases Helisul in August 1996. The sale price is 2 million reals (US$2 million). The company, which is allowed to retain its independent identity, is assigned to TAM’s Brasil Central (Linha Aerea Regional, S. A.) subsidiary.

An EMB-110 freighter with two crew crashes into a mountain near Joinville, Brazil, on September 13; there are no survivors.

At the beginning of 1997, the fleet of President Eloy Biesuz includes 1 Bell 206A, 7 Bell 206Bs, 4 HB350Bs, and 4 Bandeirantes. In September, the carrier takes over a number of routes previously operated by Brasil Central.

The Brasilian Department of Civil Aviation (DAC) indicates on December 30 that it will begin to institute domestic airfare deregulation in January.

Enplanements for the year total 148,287.

Flights continue in 1998. On December 30, the DAC scraps its last regulations over passenger airline fares, a year to the day after it had launched domestic deregulation. DAC does, however, indicate that it will remain vigilant to abuse, including dumping, cartels, monopolies, and predatory pricing. As domestic competition stiffens, additional alliances with foreign airlines are expected.

Passenger boardings increase 126.1% to 335,000, while freight traffic skyrockets 116.6% to 2.06 million FTKs.

Flights continue in 1999-2000, during which years a honepage for the Helisight operation is also opened on the Internet at Http://www. helisight. com.