A Richmond-based helicopter company is donating one of its medically equipped helicopters to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
Helijet International is donating a Sikorsky S-76A, which will be used for non-commercial, humanitarian and medical evacuation missions in Ukraine to airlift victims needing urgent medical care to hospitals.
This donation is part of an agreement with a consortium of Canadian and Ukrainian non-governmental organizations: Maple Hope Foundation, the Ukrainian World Congress, and Initiative E+.
The helicopter will be packed and air-shipped to Ukraine later this month with an expected arrival in Kyiv by March 15.
Helijet International president and CEO Danny Sitnam made the announcement on Monday, Feb. 10 at Helijet's Richmond base of operations.
He was joined by Andrew Potichnyj, director of Unite With Ukraine, and Svitlana Kominko, co-founder and CEO of Maple Hope Foundation.
"We're very pleased, honoured and humbled that we can afford the people of Ukraine the opportunity to support their humanitarian efforts," said Sitnam.
He explained the Sikorsky S-76A was previously used for air medical services under a contract with the Ministry of Health for patient transport in B.C., but has since been pulled off the fleet.
The helicopter will first be transported to Calgary International Airport by ground where it will be loaded onto a 747 air cargo bound for Luxembourg. From there, it will continue its journey to Kyiv by ground transport.
Sitnam was one of many families in B.C. who opened their home to a young Ukrainian couple and their baby in 2022 when the war between Ukraine and Russia began.
"I took in a family through Maple Hope Foundation, and I became very close friends with Svitlana ... and through that process, we started doing more in support of the Ukrainian efforts that Maple Hope is doing," he said. This included using Helijet's hangars for supplies.
They started collaborating on the idea of donating a medically equipped helicopter for humanitarian work to Ukraine.
"It's really important in the sense of giving back to such a desperate situation that's going on in Ukraine. We felt it even more so after I (got) my family involved with this whole thing."
In November, Maple Hope Foundation launched a national campaign to raise funds to deliver the helicopter to Ukraine.
Within three weeks, the campaign raised $101,530 from more than 730 donors.
Kominko described the donation of the medevac helicopter by Helijt as a "historically significant" event as it demonstrates the "resolve of Canadians united in support of Ukraine during the third year of the full-scale invasion (of Russia)."
"This life-saving air ambulance will be a game-changer, delivering critical medical aid to those suffering in the war-torn regions of Ukraine," said Kominko.
"Even if this helicopter is going to save one life, this is worth doing because human life is priceless. This war in Ukraine took so many lives of innocent children, civilians and our brave defenders."
What makes the donation of the Sikorsky S-76A even more special is that it's a product of U.S.-based Sikorsky Aircraft, founded a century ago by Kyiv-born helicopter inventor Igor Sikorsky.
"This aircraft is going back home to save lives," said Kominko.
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