Spain’s Maritime Safety and Rescue Society (Salvamento Marítimo or Sasemar) has awarded a further five-year contract to Avincis, which has been providing search-and-rescue services in the region for 30 years. The contract is valued at $305 million.
Now with 11 helicopter bases, Avincis operates 24/7, with missions assigned by Sasemar covering 7,905 km of coastline.
Since winning its first contract in 1993, Avincis has flown more than 100,000 hours and completed approximately 16,000 missions, rescuing or evacuating more than 8,500 people. Avincis’ fleet now numbers more than 220 aircraft, and its 2,400 employees operate from bases in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and operations in Mozambique and Chile. For the Sasemar contract, Avincis operates 15 helicopters, split between Leonardo AW139s and Airbus Helicopters H225s.
“Sasemar is one of our longest-standing and most respected clients,” said John Boag, group CEO of Avincis, “and we are very pleased to have been awarded the latest tender for the helicopters providing part of their aerial service. We have delivered maritime search and rescue services in Spain for the past three decades. Our highly experienced and well-trained crews will continue to be there whenever needed over the next five years.”