Helijet resumes service to hospital heliports in B.C.
Helijet International Inc.has received the regulatory approvals from Transport Canada to re-establish full 24-hour emergency air ambulance service to all hospital heliports in British Columbia.
Helijet International Inc. announced on 2 December that it had received the necessary regulatory approvals from Transport Canada to re-establish full 24-hour emergency air ambulance service to all hospital heliports in British Columbia, including Vancouver General Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital and Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.
Helijet provides emergency medical services transport for B.C. Emergency Health Services with three Sikorsky S-76C+ aircraft. The fleet was temporarily forced to land at alternative sites near hospitals following a restriction imposed by Transport Canada.
Full service resumes from 2 December at 08:30 hrs.
Questions raised by Transport Canada in spring 2016 resulted in Helijet voluntarily suspending its Sikorsky 76C+ air ambulances from landing at up to seven B.C. hospital helipads, pending resolution with the federal regulator, said the firm. In August, exemptions were granted resulting in the restoration of Helijet flights to five hospitals, but restrictions remained at the Royal Columbian and Surrey Memorial Hospital helipads, Helijet explained, adding that B.C. Emergency Health Services used an alternate service provider for day flights to those facilities.
Helijet stated that the matter had been resolved due to extensive work undertaken with Transport Canada, the aircraft manufacturer and an independent aviation expert, Maxcraft Avionics. Detailed aircraft data verification was done and a new supplemental type certificate was issued by Transport Canada, said the company. This certificate is being permanently added to the S76C+ flight manual documentation and permits the full resumption of landings at all previously restricted elevated hospital heliports.
“This outcome is a real credit to the hard work, collaboration and support we received from our client, the British Columbia Emergency Health Services, as well as Transport Canada, Sikorsky Aircraft, Maxcraft Avionics and all the employees at Helijet,” said Rick Hill, vice-president of commercial and business programs at Helijet. “Passenger and crew safety is of upmost importance to Helijet, which is why we voluntarily took steps to suspend some of our air ambulance service while this issue was being addressed. With the additional STC documentation, we have resolved all issues with Transport Canada and look forward to providing crucial emergency care service for British Columbians in need, as we have for the previous 18 years.”