Strong new partner for Northern HeliCopter (NHC), Emden: DRF Luftrettung has taken over all shares in the air rescue company with retrospective effect as per 1 January 2019.

The change in ownership will not impact the autonomy of NHC and its service portfolio: As a reliable provider of ambulance flights and subsidiary deployment in air and water rescue, as an experienced company in offshore rescue and in passenger transport to the wind farms, NHC will continue to be a competent port of call for the people in the North and Baltic Sea region, on the eastern and northern Frisian islands and on the Hallig islands.

“It is important for us to use synergies in order to provide patients who need our help with professional and best-in-class medical care and sustainably secure the important contribution of Northern HeliCopter to the well-being of the people living in the coastal area. Furthermore, the takeover expands our competences and service portfolio, adding further fields of expertise in the area of offshore rescue and the deployment of ambulance helicopters,” says Dr. Peter Huber, Chairman of DRF Luftrettung and new accountable manager of NHC. The other directors of NHC are Christian Müller-Ramcke and Armin Ortmann.

“Especially with regard to the strong medical expertise, excellent flight operations, professional equipment and maintenance of the helicopters, and staff training, advanced training and further education, DRF Luftrettung and NHC have a lot in common. Both air rescuers will benefit from the synergies,” says Armin Ortmann. “Even as a wholly-owned subsidiary of DRF Luftrettung, NHC will be able to retain its flexibility. At the same time, we are now in a position to align our services even more consistently and focus on the specific needs of the coastal region in offshore, air and water rescue,” adds Christian Müller-Ramcke, explaining the advantages of the takeover for NHC.

About Northern HeliCopter GmbH

NHC has been able to steadily expand its market position in recent years. In 2014, the company opened a station in Sankt Peter-Ording for the wind farms in the North Sea, followed in 2018 by another one in Güttin on the island of Rügen for the wind farms in the Baltic Sea. In 2011, NHC was the first private company to introduce rescue flights in the German Bight: 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. With the introduction of the integrated offshore rescue concept WINDEAcare, NHC, together with its cooperation partners in emergency medicine and more recently also with its partners specializing in firefighting, has established itself as the market leader in this sector. NHC’s six helicopters are staffed with a total of 22 pilots, 19 emergency doctors and 17 paramedics.

About DRF Luftrettung

DRF Luftrettung looks back on nearly 50 years of air rescue experience. The organization operates helicopters at 31 HEMS bases in Germany and Austria for rapid emergency rescue as well as for urgent transports of intensive care patients between hospitals. Ten of the stations are operational 24/7. The flying intensive care units of the red and white helicopters are equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology. In addition, DRF Luftrettung is a member of the network of AP³ Luftrettung and participates in a further station with day and night flight operations in Balzers/Liechtenstein. Throughout Europe, DRF Luftrettung is the main night flight expert among the civil operators, with the highest number of helicopter flight hours in darkness (NVIS). In addition to helicopter rescue, DRF Luftrettung uses its own ambulance aircraft and experienced medical personnel to bring patients back to Germany from abroad. Over the past four decades, DRF Luftrettung has performed over 900,000 missions. 570 emergency doctors, 170 pilots and 120 paramedics are currently deployed in DRF Luftrettung’s air rescue missions.