Page 29 - AAA JULY - AUGUST 2014 Online Magazine
P. 29
FEATURE AIR MEDICAL SERVICES
FEATURE AIR MEDICAL SERVICES
Help From The Skies
Demand for air ambulances is growing By Jay Menon
helicopTer rescue is going To be Asia Pacific and Middle East are
one of the main drivers of the growth in the expected to be the growth centers for
helicopter industry for the next ten years. commercial helicopters during the next
According to “The Global Commercial decade owing to the huge potential in
Helicopter Market 2013–2023”, a report countries such as China, India, Australia,
worked out by the Strategic Defence Japan, UAE, Qatar, etc.
Intelligence, the aircraft and rotorcraft
market will increase by 3.08%, with a total
turnover of about 1 billion dollars, in the China
next ten years. Recently, the Red Cross Emergency
The commercial helicopter market Rescue Center said Beijing would be
growth worldwide will be aided by several the first city in China to upgrade its
sectors, mainly Helicopter Emergency emergency medical service with the use
Medical Service (HEMS), Search and Rescue of professional medical helicopters.
(SAR), offshore oil and gas exploration and The center signed a deal with Airbus
production, and VIP transport. Helicopters China to purchase two
The market of HEMS and SAR is EC135 helicopters. “Each helicopter
going to be one of the most important will be refitted with devices including
promoters of growth. As per the report, an electrocardiograph, a ventilator, a
29% of civil helicopters in the world defibrillator and a micropump,” said Tian
are currently employed for medical and Zhenbiao, the center’s deputy head.
police emergencies. “This is why major The first helicopter is expected to
companies such as Bell Helicopter, Airbus arrive in August 2014, while the second
Airbus Helicopters’s
light twin-engine models Helicopters, Sikorsky, Russian Helicopters one in the second half of 2015.
EC135 and EC145 have and AgustaWestland are increasing their According to the center, 290 civil
been especially popular presence in these market segments,” the helicopters were registered with the Civil
all over the world. report says. Aviation Administration of China by the
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