Metro Aviation began a great relationship with the University of Michigan Health System’s Survival Flight program during the completion of the program’s three Airbus EC155 twin-engine helicopters, delivered in 2012. Now, Metro is pleased to announce Survival Flight is not only a completions customer, but an operations customer as well.

“Survival Flight is a mature program and we are proud to partner with Metro Aviation,” said Denise Landis, Survival Flight’s critical care and transport manager. “Metro understands the history of the air medical industry and the challenges we may face in the future. They also possess the forethought to proactively develop solutions to face those challenges.”

Survival Flight serves all of Michigan and surrounding states, transporting patients and organs for transplant not only for the nationally ranked hospitals of UMHS but also for two other major health systems. Of the nearly 1,400 transports completed in the last fiscal year, 62 percent were rotor-wing patient transports covering more than 135,000 miles within 350 miles of the Ann Arbor area. Fixed-wing service, using a Cessna Citation Encore jet, allows Survival Flight to reach throughout North America.

“Survival Flight was the first air medical program in the U.S. to utilize the EC155,” said Metro Aviation President Mike Stanberry. “We are ecstatic to continue our partnership with such a forward thinking program. Survival Flight is a leader in our industry and we are proud to call them family.”

The aircraft are outfitted with the latest medical technology, giving the crew the capability to transport patients requiring Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) and other advanced treatment.