NPA 2018-04

Helicopter emergency medical services performance and public interest sites

The objective of this Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) is to contribute to the achievement of the overall objectives of the EASA system, which are defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 (the Basic Regulation).

This NPA, therefore, proposes to:

- foster efficient and proportional rules, more precisely regarding:

  • HEMS requirements for high altitudes;
  • a new HEMS concept to cover mountain operations and rescue operations (other than search and rescue (SAR) operations);

- maintain a high aviation safety level by reviewing the requirements related to flights to/from public interest sites (PISs) located in congested areas; and

- maintain a high aviation safety level by reviewing the requirements related to HEMS flights by day or night, regarding equipment, training, minima, and operating/hospital site illumination.

The proposed draft amendments are expected to increase safety, improve harmonisation and ensure alignment with ICAO while keeping the economic impact for HEMS operators to a minimum.