THUNDER BAY — Some of the familiar Ornge air ambulance aircraft flown out of bases in Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout and Timmins are getting an upgrade.
The Ontario government announced plans Tuesday to replace the existing fixed-wing component of the 20-aircraft Ornge fleet with new models.
The service's eight Pilatus PC-12 aircraft were acquired in 2009 and 2010.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the state-of-the-art planes will be acquired through a competitive procurement process, and are expected to be in service by 2026.
The minister also said the government is considering a future expansion of the Ornge fleet, which is already the largest of its kind in Canada.
Ornge also operates 12 Leonardo AW139 helicopters.
The fixed-wing aircraft are used for longer-distance transports, while the helicopters are deployed for shorter trips and for emergency on-scene response.
About 21,000 patients are transported to hospital annually by Ornge, with the airplanes accounting for about 15 per cent of the volume.
Although the service operates out of nine air bases across the province, the fixed-wing aircraft are only based in Thunder Bay, Sioux Lookout and Timmins.
The Thunder Bay base has two operational planes on a 24/7 basis, while the other two locations routinely operate with one plane, but use two at peak times.