{"id":345372,"date":"2023-01-06T15:03:25","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T20:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/?post_type=news&p=345372"},"modified":"2023-01-06T15:25:06","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T20:25:06","slug":"ontario-government-renew-ornge-fixed-wing-fleet-8-new-aircraft","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/news\/ontario-government-renew-ornge-fixed-wing-fleet-8-new-aircraft\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario government to renew Ornge fixed-wing fleet with 8 new aircraft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In mid-December, the Ontario government announced it is investing “historic amounts\u201d to replace Ornge Air Ambulance\u2019s entire fixed-wing aircraft fleet with eight brand-new planes. The Toronto-based medical transport provider currently operates a fleet of 20 aircraft, comprised of 12 Leonardo AW139 helicopters and eight Pilatus PC-12 NG planes, as well as more than a dozen land ambulances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ornge
Ornge operates a fleet of 20 aircraft, including eight PC-12 NG planes and 12 AW139 helicopters. Rick Radell Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Acquired between 2009 and 2010, Ornge\u2019s PC-12 NGs are now over a decade old. According to Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, \u201cInvesting in a new Ornge fleet will ensure Ontarians continue to have the best care, no matter where they live in the province.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornge\u2019s CEO, Dr. Homer Tien, added that it is \u201ca welcome investment in ensuring . . . access to emergency health care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ontario government says the new aircraft are to be acquired by Ornge \u201cthrough an open, fair, and transparent competitive procurement process,\u201d with entry into service expected by 2026.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ornge
Ornge CEO Dr. Homer Tien (far left), Premier Doug Ford (middle left), and Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones (middle right), stand in front of an Ornge PC-12 NG aircraft with several of the service\u2019s crew members. Ornge Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to replacing Ornge\u2019s eight PC-12s, the provincial government shared that \u2014 although Ornge already has the largest air ambulance fleet in Canada \u2014 it is considering expanding the air ambulance provider\u2019s fleet beyond 20 aircraft in the future. The expanded fleet would include \u201clarger and faster aircraft,\u201d ensuring Ornge can continue to offer rapid and safe air ambulance services \u201cfor years to come.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ornge performs roughly 21,000 patient-related transports each year \u2014 15 percent of which involve the fixed-wing fleet \u2014 covering a land area of over one million square kilometers. The service is especially vital for those living in northern and remote areas, as well as Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ornge
The interior of an Ornge PC-12 NG air ambulance. Rick Radell Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the air ambulance provider operates from nine bases across Ontario, the fixed-wing bases are located in Thunder Bay, Timmins, and Sioux Lookout. The fixed-wing fleet is utilized for long-distance transports, while the helicopters are ideal for shorter distances and emergency on-scene response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Ontario government is investing “historic amounts\u201d to replace Ornge Air Ambulance\u2019s entire fixed-wing aircraft fleet with eight brand-new planes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":345375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-345372","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-aviation","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/345372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}