Textron Aviation has announced an agreement with Gama Aviation (UK) Limited for the purchase of three cargo-door-equipped Beechcraft King Air 360C aircraft, expected to be delivered in 2025.
The deal, inked at the Farnborough International Airshow, modernises Gama Aviation’s fleet and supports the mission of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“By providing a wide range of essential healthcare services to regional, rural and remote communities, the mission scope of the Scottish Air Ambulance requires 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week operational availability,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, special-mission sales, Textron Aviation. “Continuing to be the supplier of choice for emergency services in Scotland is a testament to the King Air’s performance when each second matters.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service equips mainland Scotland and its islands with a national air ambulance service. It is the only wholly publicly funded air ambulance service in the UK.
Gama Aviation has been a provider of air ambulance services to the Scottish Ambulance Service for more than 30 years with the King Air as the mainstay of the company’s fixed wing fleet. Together, the Scottish Ambulance Service provides the clinical staffing, while the aircraft, flight crew (pilots) and engineering support are provided by Gama Aviation on a managed service basis.
“Our team worked closely with the experts at Textron Aviation to spec the Beechcraft King Air 360Cs for our recently awarded contract in Scotland,” said Marwan Khalek, group CEO, Gama Aviation. “Strategically the KA360C hits the mark, providing good, direct operating costs and flight performance with a highly scalable mission platform we will modify at Gama Aviation. The completed aircraft, on entry into service, will represent a substantial step-up in the provision of pre- and intra-hospital care for the people of Scotland.”
