Royal Bhutan Helicopter Services Limited takes delivery of second H130
On the 21st June, Royal Bhutan Helicopter Services Limited received its second H130. The new helicopter will join an existing H130 which was delivered at the end of October last year, to perform similar missions.
The second helicopter comes equipped with additional optional equipment such as an integrated tracking system, cargo sling, bambi bucket firefighting and an onboard medical stretcher enabling to perform medical evacuations, much like the first H130 delivered last year.
During the first seven months of operations, RBHSL has been able to develop valuable experience from 46 medical evacuations and fire-fighting missions, evacuating about 40 patients and protecting natural forests all aligning with the governments environmentally-conscious policy.
More than 400 passengers have been transported since the start of operations in November last year, including VIP and tourism flights. Further to this, the H130 has also been deployed to fulfil social mandates such as flying teachers to rural areas to prepare for earlier school opening and providing charter services to the rural population where there are limited or no roads.
“With the arrival of the second H130, our reliability in terms of delivering services has increased as opposed to having a single H130 in the fleet.” said Chewang Gyeltshen, CEO of the Royal Bhutan Helicopter Services Limited.
“The H130 has lived up to our expectations with its multi-mission capabilities, wide versatility and superior flight experience because of the wide passenger cabin and low noise signature. In addition to its versatility, the H130 has proven its capability to perform in high-altitude conditions.”
The Kingdom of Bhutan located in between two giants- China and India and is at the heart of Himalayan mountain range reaching more than 17,000ft, with narrow valleys and rugged terrains. The H130 equipped with the Fenestron® adapts excellently to these demanding terrains and regularly lands below 100 feet to as high as 16,000 feet.
“We have received numerous positive feedback from the various missions performed so far by the H130 that was procured and at the same time, able to meet the mission requirements of the Royal Government of Bhutan.” Added said Gyeltshen.
“We are extremely pleased to see that the H130 is serving the nation well. RBHSL can count on Airbus Helicopters for our commitment to provide the best support and services to their fleet,” said Derek Sharples, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia.
“We are amazed by the potential of this country and we look forward to more cooperation opportunities in Bhutan to continue the legacy of Airbus’ sole presence in Bhutan.”
The H130 is a member of the Ecureuil family of light helicopters, renowned for its performance, reliability, safety and multi-mission capability. Currently, more than 5000 Ecureuil helicopters are delivered and in operation, clocking more than 29 million hours of flight time.
