"Air ambulances save lives every day. Adding these new EC135 T3s to our fleet will help us to deliver vital EMS missions for our customers," said Martin Whittaker, Avincis Director of Fleet & Engineering.
Avincis' subsidiary Bond Air Services will operate the two aircraft, which will be delivered in the summer of 2015.
Airbus Helicopters has a wide presence in EMS operations around the world, including a 70% share of this segment in the UK. The Airbus Helicopters UK customer center covers the full spectrum of sales and support throughout the lifetime of all the company's helicopters in the region.
"Airbus Helicopters continuously strives to offer aircraft that fully meet to the evolving needs of its customers, and this is precisely what we bring with the new EC135 T3/P3," said Dominique Maudet, Executive Vice President of Global Business and Services at Airbus Helicopters. "With this order, we are proud to congratulate Bond Air Services on their success in UK EMS missions and further strengthen our longstanding partnership with Avincis."
The EC135 T3/P3 is the latest-generation version of the company's proven EC135 helicopter, and is perfectly suited for the demanding requirements of EMS and law enforcement missions, in particular thanks to its cabin size and rear clamshell doors, allowing for an ease of access. The main upgrades of the T3/P3 version (T3 with a Turbomeca engine and P3 with a Pratt & Whitney) are focused on a new main rotor design, new direct air intakes and new FADEC software. These technical improvements offer an increased Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW), significant performance enhancement from AEO and OEI-CAT A from Sea Level to hot & high environments, and increased mission capability and versatility. This latest version of the EC135 was launched in 2013, and its type certification is expected for mid-October. The first delivery will take place later this month.
About Avincis
Avincis, a Babcock International Group company, is one of the world's leading providers of aviation services for mission-critical operations such as medical emergency, civil protection, search & rescue, coast and city surveillance, firefighting and energy support services. Based in the UK, Avincis provides central resources, safety and operating standards and systems and expertise to its operating companies who serve local markets and customers in Australia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK . Of primary importance is Avincis' oversight of safety standards across all its operations, with a global target of zero accidents.
Avincis operates a fleet of around 350 aircraft and employs around 3000 people. In 2013, Avincis flew over 98,500 hours worldwide, performed 51,450 emergency medical service missions, 6,350 firefighting missions, 2,100 seas and mountains rescues and transported 173,000 oil and gas engineers, technicians and other passengers. Avincis also conducts maintenance for third-party clients on helicopter and fixed-wing contracts.
www.avincisgroup.com