The first six pilots for the HEMS airborne emergency medical services system go today for training in Italy. Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov met them before their departure. He stressed that the building of the individual components for the system is on schedule and in January 2024 the pilots will board the first helicopter, which will already be in Bulgaria.
"The helicopter already has a serial number, which means it is in the testing phase and will be ready by December 15," Gvozdeykov explained. He added that the hospitals are currently working on licensing of helipads and the regime for obtaining the relevant permit has been facilitated. "All the land needed for the construction of the six operational bases has already been transferred to the Ministry of Health and this allows the construction of the bases to start," Minister Gvozdeykov said.
The Bulgarian pilots, who are leaving for Italy today, will be trained on the same type of helicopter as those that will be delivered to our country. In a few days, the first three engineers who will be responsible for the maintenance of the aircrafts will travel to Leonardo's base in the Italian town of Sesto Calende. All 36 pilots and 14 engineers, who will be part of the air ambulance teams in the country, will undergo comprehensive training in the next few months.
