Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter, which serves New Zealand’s Waikato, King Country and Coromandel region, has taken delivery of an H145, which is due to start operations this month. The new helicopter will return the base to a two-helicopter operation. It has operated as a single aircraft base since one of the two existing BK117s was damaged beyond repair in a forced landing in September. The BK117 was initially slated for re-deployment in the WestPac Rescue network.
Commenting on the delivery, Chris Moody, Westpac Rescue’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We have highly skilled pilots and specially trained crew and paramedics to carry out the latest aviation and medical technology. This specialist aircraft will give clinical staff more room to provide vital patient care and better patient outcomes.”
According to Westpac Rescue, the EMS operator is looking at adding H145s across all of its bases but is unsure of the introduction timeline.
