Norwegian Air Ambulance signs deal for up to eight Airbus H145s
Norwegian Air Ambulance has agreed a firm order for two H145 helicopters.
Norwegian Air Ambulance and Airbus have agreed a deal for up to eight H145 helicopters, including the firm acquisition of two units.
The non-profit charity organisation operates all helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) bases in the country. It’s fleet includes 20 Airbus H135s and H145s.
Leif Olstad, CEO of the Norwegian Air Ambulance said: “The Norwegian Air Ambulance has just been chosen again by Norway as the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services provider in the country. With its size and capabilities, the H145 has proven well-suited for the Norwegian service, making it a natural choice.”
Thomas Hein, head of Europe Region at Airbus Helicopters said the manufacturer was honoured to open another chapter with the Norwegian Air Ambulance. “The H145’s global reputation in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, combined with its class-leading low acoustic footprint, CO2 emissions and operating costs, ensures it’s the ideal choice for continued life-saving missions with the Norwegian Air Ambulance.”
The manufacturer made the announcement today (June 18th) at the Paris Air Show.
Based in Norway’s capital Oslo, the air ambulance organisation operates 13 medical helicopter bases on behalf of the state-owned Air Ambulance Services of Norway, which is publicly funded. The operator’s parent company Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation was the first organisation to take delivery of the five-bladed H145 in September 2020.
The latest version of the light twin-engine H145 adds a five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission aircraft, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150kg, according to the OEM. The simplicity of the new bearingless main rotor design also eases maintenance operations, further improving the benchmark serviceability and reliability of the H145, while improving ride comfort for both passengers and crew, it claimed
More than Airbus 1,750 H145 helicopters are in service, logging a total of more than 8m flight hours. Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite. Airbus Helicopters says it produced 54% of the of the 2,900 EMS helicopters operating worldwide.
