Leonardo-Finmeccanica announced that it has signed a contract with Canadian emergency medical services (EMS) operator Ornge, for an additional six years of logistics support and component repair and overhaul services for its AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter fleet, through its performance-based Full Component Plan.
The contract, part of Leonardo’s Service Excellence new support offering, solidifies the support partnership between the company and Ornge, following operational success in 2015 where the air medical transport provider flew in excess of 6,000 flight hours in 24/7 operations across seven rotary-wing bases and reached a 95 percent dispatch availability rate.
The Full Component Plan is in place to further support critical care transportation across Ontario by improving spares planning and forecasting and implementing guaranteed logistics performance.
An 11th AW139 helicopter was recently added to Ornge’s fleet, following the full reconfiguration of an existing utility aircraft to air ambulance role. The aircraft was modified in less than three months at the company’s Philadelphia facility by adding a range of mission equipment, including Wire Strike Protection System, second landing light, SATCOM latitude telephone, V/UHF radio and a new intercom system in the cabin.
The demanding timeline highlights the ability of the Philadelphia’s completion center to quickly meet new customer requirements. The aircraft now features a full medical interior and has been deployed to a base in Moosonee, Ontario.
