Media Release: GCH Aviation
28 February 2024
Four new air rescue helicopters for South Island (2 for Canterbury, 1 for the West Coast. and 1 for our sister service Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopters)
GCH Aviation has purchased four Airbus H145 air rescue helicopters for delivery from Switzerland.
In a multi-million dollar deal, Rega Swiss Air-Rescue is selling four of its highly-specified helicopters to GCH Aviation, as GCH Aviation looks to standardise and upgrade the fleet of rescue helicopters across its Canterbury, West Coast, and Nelson/Marlborough operational bases.
The new fleet includes three twin-engine H145 D2s and one H145 D3, the latest offering from Airbus. Each is fully equipped with specialised medical equipment, hoist provisions, and Instrument Flight capabilities (IFR).
GCH Aviation CEO, Daniel Currie thanked the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust for pledging their support in making this acquisition.
“The purchase means we can now modernise our fleet for the benefit of the South Island communities we serve. It is a big investment in the future of our air ambulance service,” Mr Currie says.
“With one H145 already in service in Christchurch – the Westpac Rescue Helicopter – we can now upgrade our fleet to the same level. Having a standardised fleet gives us consistency with crew training and less complications when running two types of helicopters for maintenance.”
A signing ceremony took place overnight (26 February 2024) at the HAI Helicopter Expo in Anaheim, USA. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
The new helicopters will be delivered in stages next year, set to begin service in late 2025 and early 2026.
