Mission Health’s Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) recently visited Metro Aviation to take delivery of its new Airbus light twin EC145e. MAMA operates 24 hours a day, providing air medical services to western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, northeast Georgia and northern South Carolina. The organisation's new aircraft replaces an ageing EC135 and is the first EC145 variant in its fleet. With this new purchase, the programme gains a dedicated, branded backup aircraft and a 32 per cent increase in cabin space.

“We’re really excited about our new EC145e that Metro Aviation completed for us,” says John Grindstaff, MAMA supervisor. “It’s going to enhance our capabilities, increase capacity for specialty teams and increase our safety margins.”

The EC145e is IFR-equipped and includes Metro’s medical interior with integrated medical floor, 10 litre liquid oxygen system and custom medical walls for mounting equipment.

“It is exciting to see the confidence that leading air medical providers are placing in the EC145e,” says Metro Aviation part-owner and director of business integration Todd Stanberry. “MAMA is a pioneer in the industry, and we are looking forward to adding this aircraft to the Metro fleet and watching MAMA leverage its capabilities.”

MAMA performs nearly 90 flights per month, covering 10,000 sqm in two to three flights per day. It has been part of the Metro family since 2017.