Air Methods chooses Airbus HCare to support its fleet of 31 EC145 helicopters

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GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas, Air Methods Corporation – the largest civil operator of Airbus helicopters worldwide with more than 450 aircraft in operation – has signed a $24 million, five-year HCare Smart support contract with Airbus Helicopters, Inc. to cover its fleet of 31 EC145 helicopters.

“This is the first of what we hope to be multiple HCare contracts, which allows us to partner with Airbus to drive safety, reliability, and cost targets for our customer base,” said Leo Morrissette, EVP of Operations for Air Methods. “This contract provides us peace of mind knowing that we are working with the manufacturer, to provide a higher level of service, and responsiveness for our patients.”

This is Air Methods’ first HCare contract with Airbus, and discussions are underway to extend similar support coverage to other aircraft models in the Air Methods fleet, which also includes the H125, H130, H135 and H145.  Air Methods is the leading air medical service provider, delivering lifesaving care to more than 70,000 people every year. With nearly 40 years of air medical experience, Air Methods is the preferred partner for hospitals and one of the largest community-based providers of air medical services. Air Methods has a fleet of owned, leased, or maintained aircraft with more than 450 aircraft.

“Air Methods is a key and trusted member of the Airbus family, and we’re extremely proud to help support the life-saving air medical operations they carry out on a daily basis all over the country,” said Anthony Baker, vice president of Customer Support at Airbus Helicopters, Inc. “With nose-to-tail airframe coverage for their EC145 fleet, we will collaborate with Air Methods to  support efficient management, streamline costs and eliminate surprises, with the intent of increasing operational availability and allowing Air Methods to focus its resources on its core business of fully supporting its customer base.” 

HCare is Airbus Helicopters’ comprehensive services offering, delivering tailor-made and competitive solutions to customers. It spans five domains: material management, helicopter maintenance, technical support, training and flight operations, and connected services, with experts available on-call 24/7. The HCare material management service starts out with Easy (on-request catalogue services) and Smart (four by-the-hour options), before progressively building up to Infinite (full availability commitments).

About Airbus Helicopters, Inc.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. is the leading supplier of helicopters in the United States, with a market share of nearly 65% and a presence dating back 50 years. A team of more than 700 employees operates local production and completion facilities for the H125 and UH-72 Lakota aircraft out of Columbus, Mississippi, and provides from Grand Prairie, Texas, world-class training, aftermarket support, and technical assistance for the North American regional in-service fleet of nearly 3,100 helicopters.

About Air Methods

Air Methods (www.airmethods.com) is the leading air medical service, delivering lifesaving care to more than 70,000 people every year. With nearly 40 years of air medical experience, Air Methods is the preferred partner for hospitals and one of the largest community-based providers of air medical services. United Rotorcraft is the Company’s products division, specializing in the design and manufacture of aeromedical and aerospace technology. Air Methods’ fleet of owned, leased or maintained aircraft features more than 450 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.