Airbus Helicopters and the Romanian Ministry of Interior have signed a contract for the purchase of three H135 helicopters and associated support and services for air medical services and search and rescue (SAR) missions in the country, following a four-year framework agreement signed at the end of July 2019 that foresees the procurement of up to ten H135s.

"During 15 years of air medical services - the well-known SMURD mission, the H135 has proven its utility, being a rotorcraft which adapts rapidly to all types of requests. All advantages - mainly the flexible maintenance, management of space for the transport of passengers and patients, the speed, the capability to land in a limited area, the possibility to operate life-saving medical interventions during flight, the capability to fly during day and night, and its versatility for mountain missions thanks to the hoist - are essential when it comes to critical life saving missions", said Commander Dache Paul Catalin, IGAv general inspector.

"Airbus has been an active player in Romania for almost 50 years and we are proud that the Ministry of Interior has selected the H135 for such critical missions. As a market leader with more than 600 helicopters in service for air medical service missions worldwide, I have no doubt that it will be a valuable life-saving asset to the country," said Georges Durdilly, Head of Airbus Helicopters in Romania.

Airbus Helicopters has delivered more than 1,300 H135s to customers around the globe who are logging more than 400,000 flight hours per year. The H135's operational scope includes law enforcement, air medical services, private and business aviation, the maintenance of industrial wind parks, and military training. The H135 is the main reference in air medical services, available in a wide range of dedicated interiors that maximize operators' choice in configurations, providing ample room for single-patient or dual-patient transport. The H135 family of helicopter has clocked more than 5 million flight hours, being in service with more than 300 customers worldwide.

Contributed by Airbus