Newly created air ambulance service provider Helicopter Emergency Medical Services New Zealand Limited has ordered two Airbus Helicopters H145s.
Helicopter Emergency Medical Services New Zealand Limited has selected the Airbus Helicopters H145, in response to the Health Ministry’s decision to launch a 10 year modernisation programme for the country’s air ambulance services.
Under the programme, existing single-engine helicopters will progressively be replaced with twin-engine machines to ensure compliance with Civil Aviation Rules which limit access to hospital facilities located in urban areas.
Due to be delivered in the second half of 2019, the two helicopters will become the first HEMS-configured H145s to enter New Zealand, and will bolster the country’s capacity to provide modern, state-of-the-art air ambulance services in the nation’s south.
The two helicopters will be operated on the South Island by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services New Zealand Limited, a joint venture formed by two existing air ambulance service providers: Helicopters Otago (Dunedin) and GCH Aviation (Christchurch).
The JV began operating on 1st November. The H145s will become the flagship of the JV's fleet, alongside the BK117s and EC145s already in service.