Mercy Flight WNY is making a $23 million investment in its air fleet with the addition of three more Bell 429 helicopters.
The nonprofit emergency services company announced Thursday afternoon it will purchase the new transporters with combined loans of $23 million from the USDA Rural Development Department and M&T Bank.
The helicopters will replace four aging 1980s model BK-117 vehicles plus a Learjet fixed wing aircraft for long-distance medical transports, enabling cross-country capability. The new vehicles are expected to be delivered by late spring 2018.
It’s the second recent expansion for the organization: Earlier this fall, the ground ambulance division of Mercy Flight received approval to expand its coverage for all of Niagara County, as well as Orleans and Genesee.
Douglas Baker, founder and president, said the acquisition was more than significant for the organization.
“For us, that’s like buying three Tishman Buildings,” he said, referencing the downtown Buffalo landmark. “It’s a tremendous step forward.”
Scott Wooton, vice president of finance, credited the government and M&T Bank for their support during the approval process.
“Both went to bat for us when our project was brought to Washington, D.C., for federal approval,” he said. “With this single transaction, Mercy Flight is essentially doubling the figures on its balance sheet.”
Founded 35 years ago to provide emergency air transport to hospitals, Mercy Flight’s air division represents the largest piece of operations, with nearly $19 million in revenue last year. The company, headquartered near the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, acquired its first Bell 429 in 2010 through a collaboration with M&T and USDA.
The ground division, which generates another $12 million, was added in 2009. It includes 20 ambulances and six paramedic fly cars.
Baker said adding the new helicopters will enable the organization to fly patients during adverse weather conditions by relying on instruments during poor visibility, something it just couldn’t do before with its existing fleet.
The agency was approved last week by the Federal Aviation Authority to respond using IFR or instrument flight rules versus only visual flight rules (VFR).
“It’ll increase the amount of calls quite a bit,” he said. “Patients we can’t fly now that just don’t get transferred into Buffalo because we can’t fly, now we’ll be able to fly out.”