European heavyweight operator Avincis is to enter the offshore wind sector after announcing its acquisition of Danish company KN Helicopters.
Avincis, headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, is the largest provider of emergency aerial services in Europe. It specializes in emergency medical services (EMS), search-and-rescue (SAR), and firefighting, with a fleet of about 165 helicopters and 40 fixed-wing aircraft across more than 180 bases.
The company has been operating in the Nordic region for more than a decade, with bases in Norway, Sweden and Finland — but KN Helicopters will be its first facility in Denmark.
“We are thrilled to welcome the KN Helicopters team to the Avincis group,” said John Boag, Group CEO of Avincis in a press release announcing the acquisition. “Today’s news is testament to our appetite for further growth and expansion into new sectors and regions.”
While Avincis does already operate in the energy sector, it’s through oil-and-gas transport in Mozambique, Spain and Italy, and represents a small amount of its overall workload.
Speaking to Vertical about the news, Boag said KM Helicopters was “a very, very professional business, [and] very impressive,” and that the move into offshore wind was a strategic one.
“It’s a market that’s expanding, and I think it’s a really good operation to be in,” he said.
According to the 2025 Global Offshore Wind Report, there is now 83 GW of capacity installed worldwide, supplying alternative electricity to 73 million households. The report also forecast an increase in offshore wind energy with a compound average annual growth rate of 28% until 2029 and 15% up to 2034.
KN Helicopters has been working in the sector since 2016. It operates from Esbjerg in southwest Denmark with a fleet of three Airbus H135s and one Airbus H145.
Looking ahead, Boag said Avincis would ultimately like to expand its offshore wind business, “because we think that’s an opportunity, globally,” but had no plans for major changes at KN Helicopters. “They run a really tight shop and we bought them because they’re a really good business. We want them to keep doing what they’re doing.”
The company, while now part of the Avincis Group, will retain its operating name and its team will remain unchanged.
“My business partner, Karin Granhøj, and I founded KN Helicopters with great dedication, hard work and belief in our strong business concept of delivering high quality, flexible and safe helicopter services in the wind industry,” said Niels Peter, CEO of KN Helicopters.
“We are very proud that today we become part of Avincis, which is a natural and positive step in KN Helicopter’s development to become an international market-leader in the offshore wind market.”
