Rega orders six new aircraft
Rega has announced that it has signed a new contract for six new H145 helicopters.
Swiss air rescue provider Rega has announced that it has signed a new contract for six new H145 helicopters. The new vehicles are set to replace the service’s EC145 lowland fleet and will be ready to go into operation in 2018, said Rega.
The H145 was chosen as the aircraft to renew the fleet with for the ‘next generation’, because of the model’s reputation for reliability, said Rega CEO Ernst Kohelr. Rega will continue to operate its Da Vinci rescue helicopters for its mountain bases, while the H145s will be deployed at lowland bases. The purchase continues Rega’s two-type fleet policy.
Rega has said that it will be spending around CHF52 million on the new machines, including fitting them with medical equipment. The provider says that it will be able to pay this amount without outside capital due to its ‘healthy finicial position’.
By the time the H145s come into service, Rega’s EC145 helicopters will have been in the fleet for 15 years. At the same time, the service will be taking delivery of three new Bombardier Challenger 650 ambulance planes. In 2021, all-weather AW169-featuring ice protection systems will be put into service to increase Rega’s options even further.
Kohler added: “It is our responsibility to think of the future. With these aircraft, we are ensuring that in the coming years, too, Rega will be able to come in aid of patients and people in distress reliably and professionally – both in Switzerland and all over the world.”