New aircraft arrived in Madeira yesterday and is now at the Cancela heliport, where it should be prepared to start operating, giving the current aircraft a ‘rest’.
The usual replacement of the helicopter assigned to the Regional Civil Protection Service for scheduled maintenance is underway. As a result, two aircraft will be at the Cancela heliport in the coming days, although this scenario has no relation to the demand and promise of a second such vehicle in Madeira.
The new aircraft arrived in the Region yesterday by sea and will be used in the coming months for fire-fighting and rescue operations. It is a medium-sized helicopter, model Bell 412, just like the outgoing one.
This aircraft has previously served in these roles in Madeira, and now has a different paint job, mostly white, with shades of blue, black and red on the tail.
During its previous visit to the Regional Civil Protection Service last year, this aircraft was painted half green and the other half white.
As explained to DIÁRIO by a source from the company that has guaranteed the provision of this service to the Regional Government since 2022, HeliBravo, “this is a standard procedure”, which is required for the “periodic maintenance and inspection” of the aircraft that is currently in Madeira.
This replacement is necessary given the impossibility of carrying out the necessary technical assessments in the Region, as well as the requirement for an air vehicle with these characteristics to be operational at all times, whilst the contract for the provision of this service is in force.
The Regional Government, through the Regional Civil Protection Service, signed a contract with HeliBravo in 2022 worth 3.7 million euros, guaranteeing the presence of a helicopter from the Region for a period of approximately three years.