Wiltshire Air Ambulance to operate a Bell 429 helicopter
A Bell 429 helicopter in flight.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance orders a Bell 429 to become the second UK based air ambulance service to operate the type.
A Bell 429 helicopter in flight.
Bell Helicopter has announced that Wiltshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust (WAACT) will become the second helicopter operator in the UK to add a Bell 429 to its fleet for helicopter air ambulance (HAA) operations.
The agreement was signed with Bell’s independent representative Heli-Charter Ltd based in Manston, Kent.
It is the second HAA-configured Bell 429 announced in the UK after Bell Helicopter reached an agreement with Heli-Charter in September 2013, soon after the opening of their new facility at Manson.
“Customers throughout Europe are discovering the Bell 429 is the premiere light twin solution for a number of needs,” said Patrick Moulay, Bell Helicopter’s managing director of commercial sales for Europe. “We have a long heritage serving air ambulance customers throughout the world and are proud to be able to support the entire Wiltshire community.”
“We have taken this opportunity to significantly improve the quality of the service with a state-of-the-art piece of equipment at a very competitive cost,” said WAACT chairman Richard Youens.
“Furthermore the new aircraft will be maintained on a rolling basis whereas the previous helicopter had to be taken off line for six weeks or more every year, better positioning us to serve more people year around,” Youens added.
