Oversight, training at issue in talks to resume night flights off Newfoundland

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Night flights to Newfoundland’s offshore oil sites won’t be resuming any time soon.

The board that regulates offshore oil activity says no decision on the contentious issue is pending and there’s no time frame for when it will be made.

The former chairman for the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said last fall that a decision would likely be made by the end of February.

Hundreds of offshore workers have signed a petition against night flying, which was halted three years ago during an inquiry into helicopter safety.

Oil companies have pushed to resume night flights to ease travel backlogs from bad weather during short winter days.

But there are unresolved issues, such as the board’s push for an independent management framework for helicopter safety and improved simulator training.

The helicopter safety inquiry was called after Cougar Flight 491 crashed off Newfoundland almost four years ago, killing 17 people.