The president of the Helicopter Association International (HAI), James A. Viola, together with the president of the European Helicopter Association (EHA), Christian Müller, visited the main facilities of Andalusian company Pegasus Aero Group located at Sebastián Almagro Aerodrome in Palma del Río (Córdoba) on 18th January, to get to know first-hand the work being carried out by one of Europe’s leading essential emergency services operators.

During the meeting, not only they got a better understanding of the wide range of activities related to emergencies such as civil protection and forest firefighting, mainly with helicopters, they also took a close look around the hangars used for the maintenance of their own fleet and third parties. The Pilot and Maintenance Technician Centres were also visited. After the meeting, they highlighted that our country is a firefighting missions worldwide landmark in, as well as the importance of having a highly specialized staff of pilots, taking into account the high demand of firefighting pilots which will occur in Europe in a 10-year period from now.

This visit coincided with the presentation in Madrid on January the 17th of European Rotors 2023, the largest event in Europe and the second largest in the world of the helicopter industry, by James Viola himself and his European counterpart Christian Müller, together with the main authorities of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Central Government and the Autonomous Communities that require aerial resources for the implementation of protection and emergency systems in its aerial brunches.

This international exhibition has been held in Spain for the first time, and will undoubtedly be a boost for the Spanish and Andalusian aeronautical industry, currently representing around 0,8 of the national GDP, creating more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs at national level.

This press release was prepared and distributed by Pegasus Aero Group