Next year, Babcock Scandinavian Airambulance (BSAA) will take charge of the air ambulance service in Norway. The company has extensive experience of operating air ambulance services in Nordic countries, and carries 14,000 patients annually in Finland and Sweden.
During negotiations between Norsk Flygerforbund and BSAA, an offer was made to give the company’s pilots a bonus if they had zero sick days for a calendar year.
Marius Hansen, director of Babcock Scandinavian AirAmbulance AB, explained that this point was a miss which, when discovered, was removed immediately.
“This point was recorded in the negotiations with Norwegian airline associations by a newly appointed HR employee without industry knowledge,” he said.
Such an incentive can be at the expense of aviation security if the pilots feel pressured to fly. BSAA never compromises flight safety, and no other pilots in the Babcock system have such incentives in their deals, Hansen explained.
The point was considered as unlikely by both parties that the atmosphere around the table remained good when it came up.
“When the managers in the company discovered the point, it was drawn immediately and we felt there was understanding in the room because this was a miss and nothing else. We are therefore astonished that the Norwegian Flyerforbund now uses this in its communication.”
Safety as the main focus
At BSAA, there is a high focus on safety, and the company has never had any serious accidents since its launch in 2001.
“We have achieved this through continuous and good work on quality and safety,” said Hansen.
Everything is facilitated for pilots to make their own decisions when it comes to safety.
“There are no pilots who take off [in] an airplane or helicopter that will not safely descend on the ground again. It is the pilots who make all decisions that are critical to aviation safety,” he said. “The foundation for all our business is that pilots should be able to make their decisions solely on the basis of safety assessment.”