INAER France wins SAMU medical helicopter contract
INAER France (INAER), part of the Avincis Group, has won the tender for the operation of SAMU helicopters in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region, with the regional contract being the first of its kind for the French Ministry of Health.
INAER France (INAER), part of the Avincis Group, has won the tender for the operation of SAMU helicopters in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region, with the regional contract being the first of its kind for the French Ministry of Health. The contract states that INAER will introduce five EC135 helicopters from the 1 January 2014 for hospitals in the PACA region: Marseille, Avignon, Toulon, Nice and Gap. The Marseille helicopter will be a 24-hour service, while the others will be 12-hour services. The bases at Marseille and Avignon will be sub-leased to Mont-Blanc Helicopters.
The five-year contract is the result of a tender conducted by the Marseille Hospitals Public Support Group, and is the first contract signed with hospitals at regional level.
INAER’s safety strategy means that the fleet consists exclusively of helicopters equipped with autopilot. This SAMU contract, said the company, ‘demonstrates that state-of-the-art technology (INAER is currently the only private operator in France certified for Night Vision Goggles) can be implemented at reasonable and controlled costs’. “Managing multiple bases as a regional platform, which is what the PACA contract allows, is a way of cutting back costs and optimising services for different hospitals to provide a better service,” explained Frédéric Goig, managing director of INAER France.
This development is accompanied by growth of the fleet, namely an EC135 T2+, bringing the number of EMS dedicated aircraft to eight, in addition to the nine Agusta 109 Powers also operated by INAER.