Papillon Airways, Inc.

Papillon Airways, Inc., doing business as Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, is a leading provider of helicopter services to various federal agencies, primarily in the Western United States. The company specializes in aerial tours, firefighting support, search and rescue operations, and transportation services for government personnel and cargo. Papillon Airways has established itself as a premier helicopter tour operator, offering scenic flights over iconic landscapes like the Grand Canyon, as well as providing critical aerial support for federal land management and public safety missions. With its extensive fleet and experienced pilots, Papillon Airways has become a trusted partner for numerous federal agencies seeking reliable and versatile helicopter services.

Through its federal contract awards, Papillon Airways has provided a wide range of services to agencies such as the Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Department of the Interior National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and U.S. Geological Survey. These services include aerial firefighting support, wildlife surveys, law enforcement transportation, search and rescue missions, infrastructure inspections, and visitor services in national parks. Papillon has been particularly active in supporting fire and aviation management programs at the National Interagency Fire Center, delivering critical aerial support for wildland fire suppression efforts. The company has also been instrumental in facilitating transportation and research activities in remote areas, such as providing helicopter services for the Havasupai Tribe in the Grand Canyon and supporting geological surveys and environmental monitoring projects for various federal agencies.

Papillon Airways holds two significant Indefinite Delivery Vehicles (IDVs) with federal agencies. The first is a $16.8 million single-award contract with the Department of the Interior National Park Service Intermountain Region to provide European helicopter flight services in Grand Canyon National Park through January 2025. This contract primarily involves sightseeing helicopter tours for park visitors, operating from the South Rim Helibase. The second IDV is a $49.5 million multiple-award contract for On-Call Type III Helicopter Flight Services, running from 2022 to 2027. This vehicle allows various Department of the Interior agencies to issue task orders for a wide range of helicopter services, including firefighting support, search and rescue operations, and transportation of personnel and equipment in remote areas. These IDVs demonstrate Papillon Airways' capacity to provide sustained, high-quality helicopter services to meet diverse federal agency needs across the Western United States.