ADAC Luftrettung and ÖAMTC Flugrettung have signed an agreement with Airbus Helicopters for the purchase of 10 H140 helicopters, of which each operator will receive five. The German and Austrian helicopter emergency medical services operators are amongst the launch customers for the new H140 helicopter that was unveiled at the Verticon vertical lift industry show in Dallas, Texas. For ADAC Luftrettung, the agreement also includes the acquisition of three H135 helicopters and one H145.

“ADAC Luftrettung played a key role in the development of the EC135 as early as the 1990s and has been instrumental over the past 30 years in establishing this helicopter as the backbone of modern air rescue in Germany and Europe. With around 780,000 ADAC air rescue missions and hundreds of thousands of patients transported, the H135 family is the heart of our fleet. This is why it has been essential for us to closely support Airbus in the development of the new H140 helicopter in the last few years, bringing our expertise from more than 1.3 million HEMS missions and with the clear goal of making the H140 the best HEMS helicopter for our missions,” says Frédéric Bruder, CEO of ADAC Luftrettung.

“We were very honoured when Airbus invited us together with our partners from ADAC to contribute and to be part of the development of the H140. This interesting journey allowed us to incorporate our valuable operational expertise from daily air rescue missions, alongside the extensive technical experience of our colleagues at Helikopter Air Transport GmbH. By integrating these insights, we are helping to further enhance efficiency, safety and cost-effectiveness in high-level air rescue operations with this new helicopter,” adds Marco Trefanitz, CEO of ÖAMTC Flugrettung.

“It is no surprise that leading operators such as ADAC Luftrettung and ÖAMTC Flugrettung, who are two of our most long-standing partners in Europe, should be amongst the launch customers of the H140. They have always innovated and invested to deliver the highest quality of care to their patients. I am very grateful to both organisations for sharing their operational expertise and contributing to our H140,” comments Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “I would like to thank them for the trust they put in Airbus and our new helicopter. We look forward to seeing the H140 perform life-saving missions in Austria, Germany and Europe.”

ADAC Luftrettung, one of the biggest HEMS operators in Europe, uses 60 Airbus Helicopters from its 38 stations. In 2024, the EMS operator responded to around 50,000 often life-saving missions. ÖAMTC Flugrettung operates 32 H135 helicopters from 18 permanent bases and four additional winter bases in Austria. Last year, the operator flew more than 22,000 missions, with an average of 61 missions per day.

The H140 raises the bar, according to the OEM, in the light twin-engined category, for performance, cost-effectiveness, and passenger and crew comfort. It is a three-tonne class rotorcraft that complements Airbus Helicopters' current light twin offering for the emergency medical services, passenger transport, and private and business aviation markets. The entry into service of the helicopter is planned in 2028 for the emergency medical services segment.

The H140 features a wide range of innovations, including a new T-shaped tail boom with an optimised Fenestron that reduces sound levels, a five-blade bearingless main rotor and new powerful Safran Arrius 2E 700 shp engines. The helicopter also features a larger cabin space, large windows and optimised cabin layout that can accommodate up to six passengers comfortably. Designed with accessibility in mind, thanks to the large clamshell doors and the high tail boom, the H140's rear loading capabilities allow the use of different types of stretcher systems including intensive care ones and transport incubators while its large sliding doors facilitate access to the cabin.