PARIS: Eurocopter speeds deliveries to help Turkish operator's mercy missions

The Turkish operator ordered 12 aircraft in 2008: Ten of the helicopters are EC135s with the last two being an EC145 and an EC155 operated on lease.

Koçoğlu Aviation has been operating six aircraft since November 2008, and the remaining aircraft will be delivered in August. The helicopters will perform emergency medical services to and from hospitals equipped with helicopter landing facilities.

The helicopters were ordered for the Turkish government’s Emergency Helicopter Medical Service (EHMS) project. In less than a year, Koçoğlu Aviation has invested €100 million to meet the needs of the Turkish Health Ministry as part of a five-year renewable contract..

This is the first time that a project of this scale has been introduced in Turkey and in such a short span of time as well. Koçoğlu Aviation only won the tender launched by the Ministry of Health in  summer last year,
Since October 2008, the Eurocopter aircraft dubbed the “Red Angels” due to their paint scheme,, have been flying an average of six hours a day saving lives in every region of Turkey: Ankara, Istanbul, Erzurum, Diyarbakir, Kayseri and Antalya. Over time, the helicopters will be deployed in other cities as well.

The high-quality maintenance provided by Skyline, Koçoğlu Aviation’s subsidiary, on its fleet has encouraged Eurocopter to speed up its project to build a certified maintenance centre in Turkey for its entire range of helicopters. Plans call for the centre to be set up in Ankara so that it can serve the entire country via Skyline’s network.