Airbus Continues to Provide Bulk of Fleet for DRF Luftrettung

Airbus Helicopters completed a deal with German helicopter emergency medical services operation DRF Luftrettung for the sale of up to 10 H145 aircraft.

The sale will see 7 firm orders for aircraft filled, with 3 options available if DRF wishes to continue expanding its fleet. The firm is already a member of Airbus' 'HCare Smart' contract, providing comprehensive parts-by-the-hour support. The company operates more than 50 Airbus H135 and H145 helicopters across 40 bases across Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. DRF Luftrettung's bread and butter remains emergency airlift and rescue, as well as intensive care medical transports for less urgent patients that still require top-tier attention in-flight. As they have honed their skills on the Search & Rescue side, Luftrettung has found itself deploying more for special missions, using hoist-equipped aircraft for ground-hugging rescues day and night. Given that prestige in their home market, it's understandable why they're a little cocky, describing themselves as "standing tall amongst the rest of its European peers." 

“It is the mission of DRF Luftrettung to continuously improve medical care for people in need. With the new order of ten additional H145s, we continue to ensure the optimal service for our patients by keeping the helicopter fleet as modern and flexible as possible for our life-saving missions,” said Dr. Krystian Pracz, CEO of DRF Luftrettung.

"As an operator that deploys its fleet for emergency medical services, the DRF Luftrettung truly understands the importance that a helicopter's performance can have in making a decisive difference in the care a patient receives. We are therefore very grateful for the continued trust that they place in our helicopters," said Thomas Hein, Head of Europe Region at Airbus Helicopters. "We are proud to see that over the last decade the H145 has become the backbone of DRF Luftrettung's fleet performing life-saving missions in Germany and Europe."

FMI: www.drf-luftrettung.de