Switzerland-based air rescue service Rega has ordered nine five-blade Airbus H145s, Airbus Helicopters announced yesterday on the last day of Heli-Expo 2022 in Dallas. The H145s will replace four-blade versions of the light twin H145 that Rega operates.
Rega's new H145s will be equipped with Garmin’s touchscreen GTN 750Xi GPS navigator, which will enhance mission capabilities and safety of operations, Airbus said. The GTN 750XI has a higher-resolution display than the previous model and provides full flight planning and flight management functions, including acting as a multifunction display.
“The H145 has fully proven itself in our operations since entering into service in 2018,” said Rega CEO Ernst Kohler. “We look forward to operating the five-bladed version on our HEMS [helicopter emergency medical service] bases in Switzerland.”
In 2021, Rega completed 14,330 missions that included the transportation of 471 Covid patients. Its existing fleet comprises seven H145s and an H125 that is used for pilot training. More than 1,500 H145s are in service today, with the fleet having logged more than 6 million flight hours, according to Airbus.