The SR81.6 million agreement was signed at the ADA headquarters in Abu Dhabi by Nader Ahmed Al-Hammadi, managing director, Abu Dhabi Aviation and Rasheed Al-Eid, CEO, Saudi Red Crescent Authority.
The Red Crescent’s Chairman Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and ADA Vice Chairman Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan respectively attended the ceremony.
The two organizations agreed that signing the deal was also a vital move in strengthening commercial ties between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Four of the aircraft will be Bell 412 helicopters, while the other two are AW139 models.
They will be stationed in Jeddah and Riyadh to maintain continuous Kingdom-wide coverage. The Saudi Red Crescent’s round-the-clock air ambulance service is relatively new as it was only launched six months ago.
It was established to facilitate the efficient transportation of patients and accident victims and play a crucial role in providing much needed medical assistance during peak seasons for religious tourists.
“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,” Prince Faisal said, adding that ADA was chosen because of its excellent market reputation.
“This is an important agreement highlighting strong synergies between the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” added Sheikh Hamdan.
“It also represents an important milestone for 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 a worthy field and we applaud the good work of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority." Sheikh Hamdan said that over the long term, ADA would be able to provide the Red Crescent with significantly more expertise.
“This initial agreement is pivotal to our ongoing relationship and to work closer with them in the future and we look forward to commencing with immediate effect,” he said.
— Input from Sarah Abdullah
and Roger Harrison
