Three airlines have submitted their proposals to be considered for a service partner contract with the Norwegian Air Ambulance, otherwise known as Luftambulansetjenesten ANS. The air ambulance service released a Request for Proposals in early 2016, seeking for airlines to provide airborne services for their operations.
Final Decision to be Released in June
The three airlines being considered for the contract are – Air FW AS from Norway, Babcock SAA FW AB from Sweden, and Hummingbird Aviation Services from Sweden. The decision will be finalized by June 2017. The chosen service partner will be required to comply with strict standards in terms of safety and technical requirements.
They will be in charge of delivery and operation of air ambulance pilots and eight aircrafts as well as technical services for the air ambulance service. The contract will last for a period of seven years from 2019 till 2026 and is valued to be USD 115 million. Previously, the Norwegian Air Ambulance had a contract worth USD 46 million.
ANS Provides Valuable Air Ambulance Service
The Norwegian Air Ambulance provides valuable medical care and transportation services to an average of 20,000 patients in one year. About half of these patients are transported by helicopter air ambulance and the other half by their Beech King Air 200 aircraft. In a 2016 press release, the service also expressed their interest in a smaller aircraft that can take off on smaller runways yet still have enough range to reach the country’s northernmost settlement Longyearbyen.
Now the air ambulance operator is in considering three airlines for a 7-year contract to become its aircraft service provider from 2019. The provider will help them in providing better service to patients across the country and reach the farthest regions with a wider variety of aircrafts.
