Aeromedical services provider Air Methods rang in the New Year with some big news, announcing it has completed its acquisition of Las Vegas tour operator Sundance Helicopters while also placing bulk orders for dozens of new medical helicopters from Bell and Eurocopter.
Sundance focuses primarily on Grand Canyon and Las Vegas helicopter tours, but the company also supports firefighting, vertical lift, aerial photography/motion pictures and aerial surveying, opening up new market niches for Air Methods, the largest EMS helicopter operator in the United States. Sundance had revenue of about $52 million last year. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Air Methods also announced it has signed deals for 20 new Bell 407s, 10 Eurocopter EC130s, six Eurocopter AS350s and six Eurocopter EC135s, all of them scheduled for delivery in aeromedical configurations starting this year and continuing into 2015. The company’s internal United Rotorcraft Division will perform the installations of medical interiors and upgraded cockpit avionics.
Based in Denver, Air Methods operates more than 400 helicopters and airplanes on behalf of hospitals throughout the U.S. and employs over 2,000 pilots.
