Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her department was informed that employers in the offshore oil and gas industry were seeking to introduce a safe weight limit for offshore oil and gas workers being transported to installations by helicopter.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency was engaged in discussions on the issue from 2023 and on 1 October 2025, Offshore Energies UK formally notified the MCA of its intention to introduce the Safe Weight Limit Policy from 1 November 2025, with full implementation by 1 November 2026.

The Civil Aviation Authority does not have a regulation that specifically sets a weight limit for passengers transported by helicopter. Helicopter operators are responsible for carrying out their own safety assessments, and decisions on safe operating weight limits are a matter for their operational discretion.