The reformed European Helicopter Association–operating under the acronym newEHA–publicly touched down for the first time at the 2009 Helitech show at Duxford, UK, albeit having had to adopt a slightly revised flight plan. At the 11th hour, the European HEMS and Air Ambulance Committee (EHAC) opted not to merge with newEHA. So the new organization, which had aimed to bring all of Europe’s helicopter associations under one roof, has been formed from the two main groupings–the National Helicopter Associations Committee (NHAC) and the European Helicopter Operators Committee (EHOC). Germany-based EHAC, which in December 2008 signed an agreement to join forces with newEHA, has agreed to continue working with it on a bilateral basis, but has insisted that it needs to retain its independence in the specialist field of emergency medical operations.
In October, newEHA moved into a new office located in Cologne, Germany, close to the headquarters of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This will give newly appointed executive director Gunter Carloff direct access to one of the organization’s main lobbying targets since newEHA continues to be concerned about what it views as EASA’s excessively onerous approach to regulating helicopter operations.
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