Helijet air ambulance service resumes at all hospital helipads

Helijet International has received Transport Canada approval to again land its air ambulances 24 hours a day at all hospital helipads in B.C., including Vancouver General Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital and Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.

Earlier this year because of safety concerns from the federal regulator, Helijet had to stop landing at several hospitals in urban areas.

On an interim basis, patients were flown to airports or the heliport in downtown Vancouver and then transferred by ground ambulance to hospitals.

This procedure meant delays to critical care treatment.

However, Helijet said Thursday that full service resumes Friday at 8:30 a.m.

Helijet said questions were raised last spring resulting in Helijet suspending its air ambulances from landing at up to seven B.C. hospital helipads, pending discussions with the federal regulator.

In August, it said, exemptions were granted resulting in the restoration of Helijet flights to five hospitals, but restrictions remained at the Royal Columbian and Surrey Memorial Hospital helipads.

“Passenger and crew safety is of upmost importance to Helijet, which is why we voluntarily took steps to suspend some of our air ambulance service while this issue was being addressed,” Helijet’s vice-president of commercial and business programs, Rick Hill, said in a statement. Helijet uses three Sikorsky 76C helicopters as air ambulances under an eightyear contract with B.C. Emergency Health Services that expires in 2019.

Transport Canada raised concerns with the use of Helijet’s 76Cs at urban hospitals after reviewing the aircraft performance manuals.