EMS provider Life Flight Network orders five Airbus H135s
Life Flight Network now operates a fleet of eight helicopters.
Emergency medical services provider Life Flight Network has ordered five Airbus H135 helicopters to support EMS missions across the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West. The order, placed last month, follows its purchase of three new H135s last year and brings its total order to eight aircraft.
The new twin-engine helicopters will transport critically ill and injured patients in communities throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
Ben Clayton, CEO, Life Flight Network said the aircraft investment was also an investment in patients and communities who rely on EMS support. “Our crews serve communities separated by mountain ranges, oceans, and vast rural distances,” he added. “The H135’s advanced safety features and air medical capabilities are well suited to the demands of serving this diverse region.”
Bart Reijnen, head of the North America region at Airbus Helicopters said Life Flight Network provides a vital lifeline to millions of people across the Pacific Northwest. “The H135 continues to set the standard for air medical services, combining exceptional reliability, advanced safety technologies, and quiet flight performance so that dedicated clinical teams can carry out their lifesaving work safely and efficiently,” he added.
Founded in 1978, Life Flight Network is a not-for-profit patient transport service providing helicopter, fixed-wing, and ground ambulance transport. The service began as Emanuel Life Flight, which was one of the first hospital-based air ambulances on the West Coast. In its first year the organisation transported 121 patients using its Alouette-3 helicopter.
Life Flight Network is owned by a consortium of Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, and Providence Health & Services.
Meanwhile, more than 1,500 H135 helicopters are in service worldwide. Together they have logged more than 8 million cumulative flight hours across medical, law enforcement, and utility configurations.
