Austria's OAMTC air ambulance services has chalked up more than 100,000 flight hours with the EC135 (pictured). OAMTC, which has a 28-strong fleet, carries out about 15,000 operations each year.

Alexander Wolf and Reinhard Kraxner, joint ceos, say that OAMTC recently flew its 200,000th mission with an EC135. Wolf adds: "An EMS helicopter can be deployed to almost any location in Austria within 15 minutes, greatly improving chances of survival."

OAMTC acquired its first EMS helicopter, an AS355F named Christophorus 1, in 1983. Over the years the company added an additional 21 helicopters.