General Aviation Pel-Air orders five Beechcraft King Air 350 ambulance aircraft

The Australia-based operator Pel-Air will take delivery of five Beechcraft King Air 350s in total. All of them are being configured in the air ambulance variant, making the aircraft eligible for multi-stretcher operations.

Deliveries are expected to begin later this year and run through until 2021. For additional performance capabilities the aircraft has heavy weight options and an aft cargo door equipped. The aircraft are intended for Pel-Air to provide contracted air ambulance service for NSW Air Ambulance.

NSW Air Ambulance is a government agency, that provides emergency services throughout New South Wales as part of the NSW Health Services. The five aircraft will be based in Mascot at Sydney Airport. Currently, Pel-Air operates with an aging fleet of King Air B200 and B350 aircraft.

Bob Gibbs, vice president, Defense & Special Mission Sales for Textron Aviation commented: “We’re very proud that NSW Ambulance has chosen to continue to stay with the King Airs in support of its critical emergency service operational needs in New South Wales [...] The King Air is the world leader in turboprop special missions because of the aircraft’s unmatched capabilities and reliability. Continuing to be the supplier of choice for emergency services in Australia is a testament to the King Air’s performance when each minute matters.”

Eugene Lee, Chief Operating Officer of Pel-Air added: “The King Air has proven itself very adept for special missions, particularly for air ambulance operations in New South Wales, where much of the need is to and from rural areas and unimproved runways that dominate our service area [...] A key to our success has been the timely customer service from Textron Aviation, who has already been supporting Pel-Air’s King Air fleet for the past 10 years in the Ambulance Victoria contract. We are confident that this excellent support will continue in the NSW Ambulance contract.”

With the Beechcraft King Air 350 platform, Textron Aviation has introduced a platform for variable operations. The large and versatile cabin can be configured for a variety of special mission needs. Furthermore, the twin-turboprop boasts long range and high-dash speeds. These are characteristics that are being required for critical care transport.

Textron Aviation is a leading aviation authority and home to the brands Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker. Together, the group´s companies have delivered more than 250,000 aircraft in over 170 countries.