Ole Christian Melhus has been appointed acting CEO of Helitrans

"Ole Christian has impressed us with his clear, uniting, and enthusiastic leadership. During his short time at Helitrans, he has gained the support of the employees and made a significant mark on the organization. We are pleased that Ole Christian has agreed to lead the company during the next phase where we will build on our position as Norway's largest domestic helicopter operator while also continue to grow and strengthen ourselves within helicopter preparedness,” said chairman Bård Mikkelsen.

“I would like to thank Richard for his efforts and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours,” added Mikkelsen.

“I am grateful that the board has given me the opportunity to lead Helitrans through a necessary strategic change that will contribute to sustainable growth while at the same time strengthen us as Norway's best community for helicopter services and emergency preparedness. I look forward to building on the solid expertise of the company and to working with fantastic colleagues at Helitrans,” said acting CEO Ole Christian Melhus, who will assume the position immediately.

Helitrans is Norway's largest domestic helicopter company, with a fleet of 25 helicopters and 100 employees at a total of nine bases from Alta in the north to Stavanger in the south. The main office is in Stjørdal in Trøndelag. The company carries out assignments for several companies in the power and telecom industries and plays an important role in contingency planning for wildfires. Helitrans also offers internal and external cargo flights and sightseeing.

Helitrans is owned by Røysi Invest AS. Melhus will also lead two other companies in the Røysi group, Swiss Helicopter Norway, which leads the helicopter investments, and the training company. In addition, Melhus will join the boards of the two companies.

“Ole Christian has solid expertise in aviation, training and aviation safety. In addition, he has extensive experience from strategic and operational leadership. His ability to put plans into action will strengthen the company on its path to sustainable growth and contribute to us becoming a competence centre for domestic helicopter operations. I am confident that we are better positioned than ever before to deliver products of the highest quality and safety to customers,” said Oddvar Røysi, owner of Røysi Invest AS.

Investments in the helicopter service of the future

Røysi Invest-owned Swiss Helikopter Norway AS entered into an agreement in 2017 as a distributor of AW09 helicopters in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Greenland. Swiss Helikopter Norway AS has ordered 12 helicopters of the type AW09 and has an option to order another six. The company is a launch customer for this type of helicopter, which will be operated by Helitrans.

Røysi Invest and Helitrans aim to become a competence centre for domestic helicopter operations. To do so, education, training and safety work are crucial. That is why Røysi Invest has ordered two Airbus H125 helicopter simulators. The simulators will be the first of their kind in the world and will help to raise the standard and safety culture of domestic helicopter training to the highest level.