Tasmania’s rescue helicopter crews have flown close to 1,000 missions in the past year alone – and their biggest corporate backer has just signed on for another two years.
Westpac will extend its sponsorship of the rescue helicopter service, Health Minister Bridget Archer announced at Cambridge Aerodrome on Friday.
The funding covers specialist rescue gear, aircrew protective equipment and advanced training.
“We have had a strong partnership with Westpac for nearly 25 years now and this is set to continue for another two years,” Archer said.
Westpac regional general manager for Tasmania Justin Caccavo said crews were busier than ever.
“[I’m] super proud to be here today to acknowledge the 26-year partnership,” Caccavo said.
“We’ve had over 1,000 missions in the last 12 months and we’re really proud to be supporting the service.”
The bank’s involvement with Tasmanian rescue helicopters dates back to 1994, with Westpac taking naming rights in 2000.
The value of the new extension has not been made public, with the government citing commercial-in-confidence reasons.
The deal lands three months into a big overhaul of the service.
New aviation operator StarFlight Australia took over on January 11 under a $354 million, 12-year contract, replacing long-time provider Rotor-Lift and shifting operations to Cambridge.
Ambulance Tasmania’s director of critical care and retrieval Charles Wendell-Smith said crews had hit the ground running.
“Since the transition to StarFlight we’ve completed over 200 missions and nearly 500 hours of flying already in only a short three months,” he said.
All three helicopters in the fleet are now the same model – the Bell 412EP.
“The 412 aircraft really is a proven aircraft within the industry,” Wendell-Smith said.
“It is well regarded for its reliability across emergency services.”
But the 412s are only an interim fleet. From late 2027, they will be replaced by three new Airbus H145 helicopters, ordered by StarFlight as part of its 12-year contract.
The twin-engine H145s are expected to fly around 1,500 hours a year across aeromedical, search and rescue and police missions.
Wendell-Smith said the transition to the new operator and the Cambridge base had gone smoothly, describing it as “really seamless”.
The Cambridge base is only temporary, with a permanent, purpose-built facility still to be constructed at the aerodrome.
Friday’s sponsorship extension will run until 2028.
