Norway’s Lufttransport has added a tenth Beech 200 to its fleet. The company works on medevac contract from the Norwegian government, with ten different bases throughout the country. Manager of flight ops Arne Evang told EBAN: “For us, the Beech 200 is the absolute best purpose aircraft because we are in 52 airfields in Norway and some are only 800 metres long; the Beech 200 is the only aircraft I know that you can use there.“

As part of its government contract work, Tromsa-based Lufttransport deals with both accidents and passenger transport from small hospitals to the central hospitals. Evang said: “This aircraft is good for medevac work because it is a good size, has good speed and has shortfield capabilities. Inside, you can fit two patients, a doctor and a nurse.”

Asked whether the company uses its aircraft for air taxi operations in Norway, Evang said: “We used to have one allocated for air taxi operations but there wasn’t a market for that kind of aircraft. Companies here don’t use that size air taxi very much. They’re more likely to use bigger aircraft with 12-15 seats.”

Lufttransport’s other news is that it has recently received an A109 Power to join its present helicopter fleet, which comprises three Dauphins. Said Evang: “We chose it because it qualifies for the Cat A performance and it’s the right size and the right price; which is all that counts, really.”

The company uses its Dauphins also for ambulance work. It says the helicopter is very good for this type of operation but concedes, “we would appreciate a hoist for our operations in the mountainous areas. The government doesn’t want to pay for that yet and it’s up to them what they want.”

While Lufttransport also has options on two more Beech 200 aircraft, the rest of its fleet comprises two Dornier 228-200 jets.

One is used for coast guard work and the other is used for air taxi transportation within Norway’s coal mining industry in the North.