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Eurocopter defends Super Puma safety record after UK crash

PARIS (Reuters) - The head of the company that manufactures Super Puma helicopters defended their safety record as UK oilfield flights resumed after a fatal crash last month, and said deliveries of the latest model had recovered after modifications.

"The worldwide safety records of this family are the best in industry," said Guillaume Faury, chief executive of Eurocopter, the world's largest commercial helicopter maker.

Faury nonetheless pledged to address oil workers' concerns over safety in the UK North Sea, where an estimated 75 percent of helicopters flying from Aberdeen are Super Pumas.

"We are really concerned by this situation. We want to contribute to the work that is being conducted to improve safety in the North Sea, especially in the UK."

The BBC reported that a Super Puma, of a different type to the one that crashed last month, resumed flying on Tuesday.

Four people were killed when a variant called the L2 crashed in the fifth incident involving the Super Puma helicopter range since 2009. The L2 version remains grounded by operators.

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said on Friday it did not believe the accident was caused by an airworthiness or technical problem and backed operators' decision to resume some flights.

However, the country's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said last week it could not yet identify the accident's causes, while unions have called for more assurances on airworthiness.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Editing Dominique Vidalon)