Medical transportation operator Air Methods has signed a deal to buy 15-IFR-configured Bell 407GXi helicopters, with an option for an additional 12, Bell Textron announced Tuesday.
The company also recently signed a purchase agreement for a Bell 429 with seating for up to six passengers.
“The Bell 407 and Bell 429 are core aircraft in our fleet of over 390 aircraft,” said Leo Morrissette, executive vice president of operations at Air Methods, said in a statement announcing the deal Tuesday at Verticon in Dallas. “The Bell 407 demonstrates exceptional performance and reliability and is the largest single-engine fleet operated by Air Methods. The Bell 429 gives our clinical team the cabin capacity necessary to provide industry-leading specialty care to our patients while also being very reliable.”
Air Methods operates from 300 bases in 48 states, serving more than 100,000 patients annually, according to the manufacturer.
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“Both the Bell 407GXi and the Bell 429 are powerful, reliable aircraft that offer exceptional mission capabilities to HEMS [helicopter emergency medical service] customers worldwide,” Lane Evans, North America manager for Bell, said in a statement. “With the addition of their newly acquired Bell 407GXis and Bell 429, they anticipate a decrease in response times, allowing them to better support the communities they serve.”
