DRF Luftrettung secures long-term contract in Mannheim
The operator will continue its nearly four-decade role in Mannheim, Germany, with a new long-term contract and upgraded H145 helicopter operations
DRF Luftrettung has been awarded the contract to continue operating Mannheim’s air rescue station, following a public procurement process. From 1 November 2026, the service will transition to the new radio call sign Christoph Mannheim and operate with extended availability during autumn and winter.
The station will be equipped with a new H145 helicopter featuring a five-blade rotor, glass cockpit, four-axis autopilot, anti-collision system, weather radar, and advanced medical technology. The aircraft will be deployed in dual-use mode, providing both primary emergency response and secondary intensive care transfers.
“The continuation of our work at the Christoph 53, or Christoph Mannheim, station is of great importance to DRF Luftrettung and all its employees,” said Dr Krystian Pracz, CEO of DRF Luftrettung. “We have already provided many important impetuses for the further development of emergency air rescue here in Mannheim in the past, and we are pleased that we can continue this development in the future.”
Crews will be available daily from sunrise (07:00 hrs at the earliest) until 20:00 hrs under the new 15-year contract. The extended hours are designed to strengthen patient care across Germany’s Rhine-Neckar region.
DRF has been operating in Mannheim since July 1986, making the helicopter an integral part of the region’s rescue chain for nearly four decades. Crews are often dispatched to critically injured or seriously ill patients and have developed advanced capabilities in pediatric emergencies and invasive techniques such as clamshell thoracotomy, blood product administration, cerebral oximetry, and resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) procedures.
“It is our goal to sustainably strengthen patient care through air rescue in the Rhine-Neckar region, and we thank you for the trust you have placed in us,” added Dr Pracz.
On Air Rescue Day on 19 March, DRF Luftrettung focused on the systematic use of air rescue within the overall emergency rescue system.
Chloe Fox
Chloe Fox is an Senior Editorial Assistant for Voyageur Group, joining in 2024. She writes for AirMed&Rescue and ITIJ, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision, and air medical transportation. Chloe holds a BA (Hons) in English and an MA in English Literature from the University of Bristol.