Helicopter firm invests in Enniskillen

Surrey based company

(LHC) is investing in a new £700,000 aircraft maintenance, repair and avionics design facility at St Angelo Airport in Enniskillen.

Supported by RDA Invest Northern Ireland, the decision to set up the facility came after research showed a steady increase in helicopter ownership in Ireland.

Mark Souster, LHC’s managing director, said: ‘LHC is the largest independent helicopter maintenance organisation in the British isles. We are confident that there is a significant business opportunity in Ireland which now has the highest number of helicopters per head of population anywhere in the EU. Northern Ireland and St Angelo’s Airport offers us the perfect base from which to service the market right across Ireland.

Invest NI’s chief executive Leslie Morrison said: ‘Enniskillen is an ideal location for this type of business. This is the second investment by a helicopter company in the area in the last 12 months and the market potential is clear. The company will be operating in a market which is niche, growing steadily and at the moment, under-serviced in Ireland.

‘An opportunity exists to support the development of a cluster of companies in the area, offering complementary services, and developing expertise in this specialist field.’