ADAC defends executives’ use of rescue helicopters

German car club ADAC has defended senior managers’ use of the rescue helicopters of its subsidiary, ADAC Luftrettung, for business trips. In response to local media reports, the company confirmed on 24 January to Reuters that ADAC executives, including president Peter Meyer, used reserve helicopters only in exceptional cases. Over the past 10 years, around 30 such flights have taken place. The staff used the helicopters for official business only where there was no other way to make an appointment on time, and the flights were paid for ‘completely and totally transparently’, said the firm. In each case, ADAC Luftrettung invoiced ADAC for the cost of the transport, so that no public funds were used. The company further explained that the use of the rescue aircraft resulted in lower costs than if helicopters had been rented from separate suppliers.

The company had already hit the media spotlight earlier in January after it was revealed that ADAC had fabricated the numbers of votes in its poll for Germany’s favourite car of the year.