AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Red Cross Air Mercy Service (AMS) of South Africa is expanding its emergency medical services operational capabilities  by introducing into service a fourth AW119Ke single engine helicopter and one Grand light twin helicopter. These aircraft will be used for EMS and rescue tasks from bases across the country. These helicopters add to the three AW119s already in service with Red Cross Air Mercy Service and mark the entrance of the Grand in the South African EMS market.

AgustaWestland has achieved major growth in the South African commercial helicopter market in recent years having received orders for approximately 30 helicopters of various types. The Precision Aviation Services (PAS) authorised AgustaWestland Service Centre based in Pretoria is also making a major contribution to the recent commercial success of commercial products by providing a comprehensive range of support services. The AW119Ke single engine, the AW109 Power and the Grand light twins as well as the AW139 medium twin helicopter model have all been ordered and introduced into service in South Africa performing a large variety of missions including VIP/corporate transport, emergency medical service and harbour pilot shuttle. With its fleet growing in the country, AgustaWestland is committed to providing ever improving levels of support services to its customers. To maximize the operational effectiveness of customers helicopters AgustaWestland is continually expanding it support services as close as possible to where its customers operate.

The SA Red Cross Air Mercy Service (AMS) is a non-profit organisation with bases in Cape Town, Oudtshoorn, Durban, Richard’s Bay, Nelspruit, Bloemfontein and Kimberley that provide an air ambulance network, rural health outreach and emergency rescue service to metropolitan areas and remote rural communities. Since its inception in 1966, the AMS has expanded its services to provide a comprehensive emergency aero-medical and rescue service to the Western Cape and Mpumalanga and health outreach programmes to the more remote communities of KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape, who previously had little or no access to basic healthcare services.

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