Province Upgrading Air Ambulance Fleet
Tuesday, February 06, 2007 at 14:36
The provincial government is replacing two of its air ambulances with two state-of the-art aircraft.
The province is investing $12 million in two King Air B200 planes. They will replace a Piper Cheyenne III-A, which will be retired, and another older plane, which will be used to transport government officials.
The three turboprop aircraft that currently make up the air ambulance fleet make more than 1,300 trips and fly nearly 1 million kilometres each year – and demand is growing.
The service transports patients from remote communities to larger centres within Saskatchewan. It also takes patients outside of the province if they require highly specialized treatment not available in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Air Ambulance services director Chris Oleson says the new planes are the most reliable and capable currently available for air ambulance work.
The new aircraft are expected to be in service by the middle of this year.