Inaer France has been awarded a two-year deal to provide life-saving HEMS for the Languedoc Roussillon Région in the south of France, following a competitive tender.

Under the contract, worth around €20 million, Inaer will operate four helicopters for the hospital of Montpellier, with the potential to extend the agreement for a further five years. Three AW109s and a B429 will be used for these missions, with the AW109s due to be positioned at Perpignan, Nîmes and Montpellier hospitals. The Bell aircraft is to be shared between Carcassonne hospital, where it will spend eight months of the year, and Narbonne hospital where it will be based during summer holidays. All of the helicopters are equipped with a respirator, defibrillator, blood pressure monitor and heart rate monitor in addition to infusion pumps, which will allow paramedics to administer serum or prescribed medication to patients during transit.

The service will enable patients in rural and remote areas to be treated at the site of the emergency. Inaer France has provided EMS for over 25 years and operates a fleet of 30 helicopters dedicated to medical transport.

In Italy, the Airbus Helicopters H145, formerly known as the EC145, has made its debut at Inaer's EMS base in Pieve di Cadore, officially commencing operations for emergency services provider SUEM 118 of Belluno. The latest helicopter is the sixth H145 in service in Italy with Inaer, and has been selected for its favourable hot and high performance. Inaer Italy has been operating HEMS in Pieve di Cadore since 2009, along with bases in Verona, Treviso and Padova.