Metro Aviation completes milestone EC135
Airbus Helicopters Inc with Metro Aviation and CALSTAR at EC135 handover ceremony
Since 1997, Metro Aviation has been customising Airbus Helicopters for the US aeromedical services and it has just finished its 200th EC135 completion to California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR).
The EC135 designed and produced by Airbus Helicopters is known for its multi-mission flexibility.
Milton Geltz, managing director of Metro Aviation, says: “Metro Aviation has believed in the EC135 for a long time. EC135’s make up the majority of our completions and that is because we trust the product and our customers trust us to customise it to their exact specifications.”
Metro Aviation is the largest air medical completion centre in the world and operates more than 120 air medical helicopters and airplanes across the country.
ALSO READ: CALSTAR orders eight EC135s
Marc Paganini, president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters Inc, says: “Metro Aviation has done an outstanding job over the years of performing completions on all of our aircraft and meeting the exacting requirements of our customers.”
“The completion of the 200th EC135 is testimony to the successful partnership between our two companies and the high quality of work and service Metro provides our customers. Metro’s decision to place orders with Airbus Helicopters Inc. for both EC145 and EC135 helicopters shows that this partnership will continue for years to come,” adds Paganini.
The 200th EC135 delivery is the eighth and final aircraft for CALSTAR’s fleet modernisation. Metro Aviation delivered the first helicopter of the modernisation in 2012.
Lynn Malmstrom, president and CEO of CALSTAR, says: “We highly value the work performed and our relationship with the entire Metro Aviation team to deliver to CALSTAR, on-time and on-budget, eight new EC135 aircraft as the backbone of our rotor wing fleet. We could not ask for better partners!”
Metro Aviation completes an average of 35 helicopters each year at its headquarters in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Metro made a short video celebrating the handover of the helicopter to CALSTAR.
