Bristow Helicopters is shutting down flight and maintenance operations in New Iberia, which will lead to local job reductions. 

Bristow Helicopters filed paperwork with the Louisiana Workforce Commission last month laying out plans for layoffs in New Iberia and Galliano, effective Dec. 1.

According to a WARN letter filed Sept. 22, the New Iberia administration and training facilities will lose 84 positions. In Galliano, 74 jobs will be lost.

The decision to shut down portions of the company’s operations was announced in August. According to a company spokesman, both sites will continue to operate, but at a lower level. The administration and training facilities in New Iberia will remain open, as will search and rescue operations in Galliano. 

“These decisions were necessitated by market conditions and aligned with the strategic purpose of the recently completed merger between Bristow Group and Era Helicopters,” the spokesman said. “They were also made after extensive and careful consideration and were ultimately made with the long-term viability and success of our business in the Gulf of Mexico region in mind.”

When the initial announcement of the cuts was made in August, it was rumored that 350 jobs would be lost, a number the company spokesman refuted. Between the two sites, the actual job losses will be less than half of that, at 158. 

Bristow emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October, 2019 and completed a merger with Era Group, another helicopter transportation company, in June of this year. Era Group President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Bradshaw assumed the president and CEO roles for the merged company, which maintained the Bristow name.