Toronto’s primary Ornge air ambulance back in service, second chopper still unavailable

An ORNGE air ambulance service helicopter sits outside a hanger at their base at Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto on Tuesday, December 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Toronto’s primary Ornge ambulance helicopter is back in service after it had been grounded for upkeep.

Last week, supply chain issues caused in part by U.S. tariffs had resulted in maintenance delays.

In a statement to CTV News on Monday, Ornge said its primary Toronto-based helicopter has returned to service, while a second one will not fly until July 18.

“Progress continues on the required maintenance for Toronto’s air ambulance helicopters. During the weekend maintenance, contingency plans were activated to maintain coverage,” the statement read.

It said from July 10 to 13, Ornge crews performed about 86 patient transports in their typical Toronto response area, requiring air and land ambulance resources from other bases to be deployed as needed.

“This approach to dispatch will continue as we work toward a full resumption of helicopter operations at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which remains our top priority,” Monday’s statement added.

Ornge has helicopters in Sudbury, London, and Ottawa.

A source told CTV News Toronto last week that staff were informed about the status of the two helicopters in a letter from Ornge’s chief aviation officer, Peter Cunnington.

In the letter, Cunnington said Ornge has been experiencing “unusually high demand for maintenance” across its AW139 fleet and that the global supply chain delays “have caused significant extensions to maintenance timelines.”

“Despite these challenges, our maintenance teams have been working tirelessly to meet operational demands. Unfortunately, setbacks related to supply issues from our primary vendors continue to impact our progress,” the letter read.

“Manufacturers have cited ongoing disruptions tied to raw material shortages caused by U.S. tariffs and the war in Ukraine.”

As of May, Ornge helicopters have airlifted 1,684 patients to Ontario hospitals.

With files from CP24’s Bryann Aguilar