One of Italy’s largest helicopter charterers, Elifruilia, has continued its fleet update programme by purchasing a brand new Agusta 109. Based at Trieste, the company specialises in both contract and ad-hoc charters. ”We had two or three Agusta 109s around ten years ago, but we sold them. Now the technology has improved so we have again chosen this aircraft,” said fleet engineer, Alessandro Cella. The company owns all 15 of its aircraft rather than being involved in management.

Last year the company opened a new EMS base servicing Udine Hospital. Said pilot Michele Valencia: “This chopper will be a back-up for when the EC135, which currently services the hospital, is in maintenance.” The company will also use it for private charters, mainly for businessmen travelling on hour-long flights.

Valencia gave a little background on Elifruilia’s update programme: “Normally the company increases the fleet by one or two helicopters every two years, in an effort to maintain a fleet where no helicopter is more than five or six years old. We have six government contracts and they generally require this, particularly for firefighting and EMS.” In this case it will be a Llama which is phased out of the current fleet, which Valencia believes will be sold more easily on the foreign market.