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Airbus says the H135 it delivered in 2014 to Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Centre was China's first HEMS-dedicated helicopter. Airbus PhotoAirbus says the H135 it delivered in 2014 to Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Centre was China's first HEMS-dedicated helicopter. Airbus Photo

Helicopter EMS market idling in China

By Thierry Dubois | October 18, 2018

Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 47 seconds.

Despite the needs of a 1.4 billion population, the Chinese government’s stated support to helicopter emergency medical services (EMS) activity, and a crowd of operators claiming to be active in that sector, the number of rotorcraft actually available as air ambulances in China remains far below expectations, according to lessor Milestone Aviation Group.

Airbus says the H135 it delivered in 2014 to Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Centre was China’s first HEMS-dedicated helicopter. Airbus Photo

There is “plenty of room for growth,” as individual expenses in healthcare remain modest and the middle class is expanding, said Stephanie Tovoli, vice-president, commercial with Milestone. She is based in Hong Kong and was speaking at the Helitech 2018 show in Amsterdam on Oct. 17.

In 2016, the Chinese government encouraged the use of general aviation for disaster relief. It is financially backing several private initiatives in helicopter EMS, added Tovoli. Moreover, out of 400 general aviation registered companies, “half of them list EMS as part of their operations.”

However, the reality seems to different. “When you dig in, 50 helicopters are serving the EMS market,” said Tovoli. The situation is part of an overall struggle among civil helicopter operations in China to make it to the next stage. Most deliveries in the country are of light singles. The industry has yet to upgrade to “more sophisticated aircraft serving more sophisticated missions, including EMS,” said Tovoli.

Those actually being operated in EMS range from light singles (such the Airbus H130 and Leonardo AW119) to light twins (such as the H135, H145 and AW109) and medium twins (such as the AW139), Tovoli notes. Airbus says the H135 it delivered in 2014 to Beijing 999 Emergency Rescue Centre was China’s first HEMS-dedicated helicopter.

To thrive in EMS, a helicopter operator faces multiple challenges. “There is no integrated response system,” Tovoli said. One obstacle is at the end user’s level. If he or she has the right insurance to be flown to a hospital, the prime responders do not necessarily know who to call. The operator also needs to partner with a hospital.

In training, pilots – usually with a military background – have to transition to Western helicopter types and then specialize in EMS. “You double up on your training,” Tovoli emphasized. In addition, Chinese rules require a crew of two pilots.

Those operations that survive are built on private-led initiatives with government backing, said Tovoli. One of them is Shanghai KingWing Aviation. According to a Milestone press release in January, KingWing was operating 40 EMS helicopters at the time. “They are growing fast,” said Tovoli.

In the Shandong province, HEMS 999 has set up six bases for a fleet of seven H130s. The focus of the company’s efforts are the victims of car crashes. “They use the the golden hour principle,” Tovoli emphasized, under which a patient carried to the hospital within one hour of the accident has a much greater chance to survive.

For helicopter EMS to thrive in the country, the industry needs the long-promised ease of airspace to happen, as well as skills and patience, said Tovoli. But the key word is government, whether local or national, she stressed. “We are looking forward to a government-led initiative.”

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