Air ambulance provider Air Methods has signed a $24 million, five-year HCare Smart support contract with Airbus Helicopters to cover its fleet of 31 EC145 helicopters. 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.
HCare spans five domains: material management, helicopter maintenance, technical support, training and flight operations, and connected services. HCare material management offers three service levels: Easy (on-request catalog services), Smart (four by-the-hour options), and Infinite (full availability commitments). Air Methods is the nation’s largest civil helicopter operator with more than 450 aircraft transporting more than 70,000 patients annually.
“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,” said Airbus Helicopters v-p of customer support Anthony Baker.