26 October, 2018:Airbus Helicopters is expanding its presence in the North American emergency medical services (EMS) market with the sale of six helicopters for two customers.
REACH Air Medical Services will add three H125s and two H130s to its current fleet. The new aircraft slated for delivery later this year, will allow REACH to expand its service area while modernising its fleet.
Airbus also welcomed a new customer – Medical Air Rescue Company (MARC) –which signed for its first Airbus helicopter, the H130. The acquisition is part of the company’s long-term plan to modernise its fleet and expand its operations into the challenging mountainous regions in Wyoming, where the aircraft will be based. Scheduled for delivery in December, the new aircraft will help the growing organisation serve roughly 2,400 patients a year across South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and Texas.
“Airbus Helicopters has been supporting the air medical market in North America since its creation, and we are proud to further our partnership with customers to help save lives in the safest and most modern aircraft,” said Chris Emerson, president of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and head of the North America region.
These orders come on the heels of two milestones for the twin-engine H145 in North America’s EMS market. In March 2018, Boston MedFlight received first of its three H145s. And in 2019, the H145 will begin EMS flights in Canada for the first time with Alberta-based STARS air ambulance, which was selected as the preferred aircraft type for their fleet renewal.