• Agreement to secure provision of six fully crewed air ambulances for Saudi Red Crescent
• Deal enhances and strengthens commercial ties between UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Agreement is worth 80 million dirhams
• The 24/7 air ambulance service, to be invaluable in Mecca during Haj and Ramadan period
Abu Dhabi Aviation, the largest commercial helicopter and fixed wing aircraft operator in the Middle East, has signed an 80 million dirham deal with the Saudi Red Crescent Authority. Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) is set to provide six fully crewed air ambulances for Saudi Arabia’s leading humanitarian organisation. The agreement, signed at the Abu Dhabi headquarters of ADA, will further strengthen bilateral ties between the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The agreement was signed by Nader Ahmed Al Hammadi, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Aviation and Dr. Rasheed Al Eid, CEO, Saudi Red Crescent Authority. This was undertaken in the presence of HE Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman, Abu Dhabi Aviation and HH Prince Faisal Bin Abd Allah Bin Abd El Aziz, Chairman of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority respectively.
Also present to mark the occasion were Ambassador Ibrahim Bin Saad Ibrahim, Ambassador of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Ibrahim Al Mazroui, General Manager and Ahmed Al Khouri, Air Brigadier and Adviser to the President of the Board of Directors from Abu Dhabi Aviation. Present from Saudi Red Crescent Authority were Captain Mohamed Al Ghaneem, Manager of the Aviation Team and Majid Al Ghadeer, Communications Manager together with other senior ranking officials from both parties.
Abu Dhabi Aviation will provide six fully crewed air ambulances to Saudi Red Crescent, which will provide invaluable support to the Saudi Emergency Medical Services Programme. These will include four Bell 412 and two AW 139 helicopters, which will be stationed in Jeddah and Riyadh providing 24/7 coverage. The Saudi Red Crescent Authority Air Ambulance service, which was launched in December 2009, offers rapid transportation of patients and accident victims to hospitals. The ambulances provided by ADA will play a critical role in providing medical assistance to those visiting Mecca during the busy Ramadan and Hajj period.
HE Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman, Abu Dhabi Aviation underscored the significance of the agreement:
“This is an important agreement and highlights strong synergies between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It also represents an important milestone in Abu Dhabi Aviation’s commercial expansion into key markets such as Saudi Arabia. We are pleased that we are able to provide our expertise in such an worthy field and we applaud the good work of Saudi Red Crescent Authority.”
Continuing, he added, “In the long term, Abu Dhabi Aviation is able to provide Saudi Red Crescent Authority with a great deal more expert support. This initial agreement is pivotal to our ongoing relationship to working even closer with them in the future and we look forward to commencing with immediate effect.”
HH Prince Faisal Bin Abd Allah Bin Abd El Aziz, Chairman of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority expressed his confidence in Abu Dhabi Aviation and highlighted the growing strengths of the Middle East aviation industry:
“Abu Dhabi Aviation’s excellent market reputation has provided us with the trust and confidence we needed to seek. Undoubtedly, this agreement will prove that the Middle East aviation sector is capable of delivering world-class air ambulances for emergency medical service purposes across the region.”
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