![\"Fixed](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/00243a4d-614.jpg\"\/)
\nThe new fleet will also provide aviation support to the National Ambulance Service<\/p>\n
A new aviation service is set to be officially launched at Waterford Airport.<\/p>\n
The service will provide the Irish Coast Guard with enhanced capabilities and an expanded fleet to meet the country’s emergency response needs.<\/p>\n
The service is continuing to roll out at bases across the country and will see 24\/7 helicopter operations provided by six AW189 helicopters.<\/p>\n
The helicopters will be based at Waterford as well as Shannon, Sligo and Weston Airport in Dublin.<\/p>\n
In addition, a 24\/7 dedicated fixed-wing service is already being provided by two Beechcraft B200 King Air aircraft that are based in Shannon.<\/p>\n
The service at Waterford Airport will be officially launched today and comes after the Department of Transport previously signed a ten-year contract with aviation company Bristow Ireland.<\/p>\n
The department has said the new fleet will enhance the Coast Guard’s capacity to provide maritime and inland search and rescue services, environmental monitoring, and aeromedical support to the off-shore islands.<\/p>\n
The new fleet will also provide aviation support to the National Ambulance Service as well as inland search and rescue support to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na.<\/p>\n
The department has said the provision of six helicopters – five of which are newly built – and the addition of the fixed-wing service represents “a significant boost to overall capability”.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the department also said: “The fixed-wing service provides an added dimension including search and rescue co-ordination capabilities, the ability to deploy life rafts, top-cover communications for longer range missions and a maritime environmental monitoring role.”<\/p>\n
\nThe new fleet will also provide aviation support to the National Ambulance Service<\/p>\n
Speaking ahead of the launch, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Irish Coast Guard Se\u00e1n Canney said he wanted to acknowledge Waterford Airport’s “long-standing” role in supporting helicopter search and rescue response.<\/p>\n
The minister said: “The location of this helicopter base complements the Shannon and Dublin bases, as well as enabling timely response to inland areas such as the Comeragh Mountains.”<\/p>\n
Mr Canney said the provision of the new service followed a procurement process that was completed by his department on time and within the estimated budget.<\/p>\n
He said: “Following contract award, the operation of the individual bases transitioned to Bristow Ireland on a phased basis and without any interruption to services.<\/p>\n
“The impact of this new contract is already being felt,” he added.<\/p>\n
Mr Canney said: “Since the commencement of services in December 2024, over 550 helicopter missions have been completed, with two of these including long-range medical evacuations over 150 miles off the south-west coast.<\/p>\n
“Additionally, the fixed-wing aircraft has been tasked for over 110 missions since it commenced operations in August 2025,” he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Director of Bristow Ireland Philip Bartlett said the aviation company never underestimates the “vital role” search and rescue teams play in communities across the country.<\/p>\n
He said: “As we introduce new technology and new aircraft, the safe transition at Waterford – and all the SAR bases in Ireland – has been the overriding priority at every step.<\/p>\n
“We are proud to support the Irish Coast Guard in shaping the future of search and rescue in Ireland, and helping to deliver life-saving support to people and communities nationwide,” Mr Bartlett added.<\/p>\n
The overall value of the contract with Bristow Ireland is \u20ac816 million and covers the provision of ten years of helicopter operations and a minimum of five years for the fixed-wing service.<\/p>\n
The Department of Transport said the final cost of the contract comes in slightly below the original estimate set out for it during the early appraisal stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new aviation service is set to be officially launched at Waterford Airport. The service will provide the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-401282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}