Aircraft rescue operations in Mannheim being transferred to DRF air rescue services
Mannheim Airport Secures New Rescue Helicopter Base Operated by DRF
The Ministry of the Interior has awarded the contract for the operation of a new rescue helicopter base at Mannheim Airport to DRF Luftrettung gemeinnuetzige GmbH (DRF). This decision comes after a thorough structural and demand analysis of air rescue in Baden-Württemberg, which was published in May 2020.
The newly awarded concession has a term of 15 years, and the press release about more sites for rescue helicopters was issued on November 17, 2022. The helicopter will bear the radio call sign 'Christoph Mannheim'.
The DRF has been operating the Mannheim air rescue base since its establishment on July 1, 1986. The organization will now deploy an Airbus H145 D3 helicopter with a five-blade rotor. A new station will be built on the CityAirports Mannheim grounds, and the medical crew for the helicopter will be provided by the University Hospital Mannheim and the University Hospital Heidelberg.
The awarding for Mannheim is the first extension of an existing location. This decision is a result of the expert recommendations from the structural and demand analysis of air rescue in Baden-Württemberg from 2020. The rescue helicopter will be deployed daily during daylight hours, from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
The retention of the location is significant, as it ensures that every location in Baden-Württemberg can be reached within 20 minutes during daylight hours by all ten air rescue bases once all recommendations of the air rescue study have been implemented.
The Interior Ministry is preparing further tendering procedures for air rescue bases in the state. A total of ten tendering procedures will be carried out in the state. The organization responsible for the extension of the location of the rescue helicopter base at Mannheim Airport is the Bundespolizei (Federal Police), and the newly awarded contract has a duration of ten years.
The state of Baden-Württemberg and the DRF signed the contract on September 10, 2025. Decisions on the other locations will be made step by step in tendering procedures. The awarding of the contract for 'Christoph Ortenau' secures the operation of a new, additional air rescue base.
For more information, please contact the Interior Ministry via the Press Office or the Citizen Liaison Officer.
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