FinnHEMS - Increase in Medical Helicopter Capacity

FinnHEMS Lentopalvelut Oy (FinnHEMS Flight Services Ltd), a company organised under the laws of Finland (hereinafter "FinnHEMS", "Customer" or "FHLP") is providing Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) at six bases. Operations are expanding and one more HEMS base is scheduled to open October 2022. FHLP needs one more helicopter to guarantee uninterrupted service at seven bases. Three (3) southern bases are equipped with EC135 helicopters, flight crews and medical passengers in the southern area are trained for the type. Three (3) northern bases are equipped with H145 helicopters, flight crews and medical passengers in the northern area are trained for the type. The new base will belong to the southern area. Helicopters are circulated between the bases inside the northern area and the southern area due to the operational reasons. After evaluation of the current set up of the FHLP helicopter fleet, maintenance arrangements, crew qualifications and competence, only suitable helicopter type for FHLP is EC135 or equivalent helicopter which can be maintained and flown with same training and qualifications as EC135. Southern areas helicopter crews are trained for EC135 and training for any other type qualification would be highly inconvenient and expensive to maintain due to costs of recurrent training for two different helicopter types. Other helicopter types do not able allocation of helicopter capacity on different helicopter bases due to type rating and other requirements such as maintenance approvals. For the reasons explained above FinnHEMS is launching this public tender process to increase helicopter capacity in the southern bases by procuring one EC135, or equivalent, helicopter with a medical kit installed.