Press Release
Issued by Erickson Aviation.
August 24, 2015
Erickson Incorporated, a leading global provider of aviation services, is pleased to announce today that it has been selected by Pan Aviation to provide emergency fire suppression support for the Municipality of Istanbul and the surrounding areas of Turkey. The agreement calls for the use of one specialized S-64E Aircrane to assist with regional fire suppression and emergency response operations 365 days a year for two years.
Pan Aviation general manager, Kerem Magdenli, states, “We are delighted to have Erickson's specialized Aircrane and crew ready for fire and emergency response for the Istanbul Municipality, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Istanbul Fire Department.” The aircraft will be based at the Ataturk International Airport and can be immediately dispatched for fire and emergency calls anywhere in the greater Istanbul area. The Aircrane will also be available for service in other regions of Turkey upon special request to the Municipality.
This extended contract is the result of a highly successful 10 month trial period, in which Erickson and Pan Aviation worked together to provide customized firefighting and disaster response for the Municipality of Istanbul. “The Municipality was extremely pleased with the aircraft capability, pilot expertise, uptime reliability and multi-role function that Pan and Erickson cooperatively provided during the trial period,” said Andrew Mills, vice president of commercial aviation for Erickson. Erickson's innovative Aircrane has more than 40 years of premier fire-fighting experience worldwide, and is uniquely equipped with an array of disaster response tools for this type of emergency response operation.