The Polish Ministry of Health took delivery today in Warsaw of the first of 23 EC135 helicopters ordered from Eurocopter in June 2008. The new fleet will be assigned to the country’s nationwide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) network. This on-time delivery represents a major step in Poland’s efforts to modernize its Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), as the country will be operating the world’s most popular new-generation EMS helicopter.

The new helicopter, scheduled to enter into service at the beginning of January 2010, will be based in Warsaw. Five more EC135s are slated for delivery in 2009, with the remaining 17 to follow in 2010. The fleet will be spread around all 17 Polish bases, and will be flown by the Warsaw-based Polish operator
Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR). The new EC135s, which will replace the existing fleet of Mi-2s, will bring Poland up to date with the latest European standards.

“The arrival of the EC135s at our bases is part of an ongoing process to modernize our HEMS infrastructure,” explains Robert Gałązkowski, Director of LPR. “We are determined to provide the Polish people with the highest-quality HEMS services, and the entry into service of the EC135 is a major step forward for us.”

“Eurocopter is committed to providing Poland’s emergency services with modern and reliable EMS helicopters and the accompanying maintenance support inside the country,” added Olivier Michalon, Vice President of Sales Eastern / Mediterranean Europe & Central Asia at Eurocopter. “We are also doing
what it takes to adhere to t the carefully planned delivery and maintenance schedules. This is a must in this line of work. We are proud to have met the expectations of our customer, and are convinced that this initial delivery is only the beginning of a long-term partnership with Poland.”

Technical support for LPR’s EC135s will be provided by the Warsaw-based companyHeli Invest – a Eurocopter Distributor and Certified Maintenance Center that offers a full range of customer services, including a hotline with Polish-speaking operators available 24/7, full maintenance services and technical support at all bases throughout the country.

The 23 EC135s ordered by LPR comply with the particularly stringent international safety regulations governing emergency medical services. Thanks to its multirole capacity and proven performance in the harshest of operating environments, the EC135 has become the helicopter of choice for EMS missions throughout the world. The EC135 currently accounts for 80% of all sales of EMS helicopters in its category and has been particularly successful in the United States where it is the absolute bestseller.
Since its market debut in mid-1996, more than 800 EC135s have been delivered to 160 customers in 40 countries.

Source: Eurocopter