Inquest into the whereabouts of helicopters
In a recent development, the operation of the "Christoph 53" helicopter at the City Airport Mannheim is set to be re-tendered by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior, with a new 15-year contract starting in November 2026.
Meanwhile, the relocation of the "Christoph 45" helicopter, which has been stationed at the Friedrichshafen clinic for over 40 years, has been cancelled due to regulatory or logistical challenges. The planned relocation to Deggenhausertal-Wittenhofen (Lake Constance district) was not feasible, as stated in official announcements.
The Ministry of the Interior, in response, is now seeking an alternative location for the relocation of "Christoph 45" within the District of Ravensburg.
DRF Luftrettung, the current operator of "Christoph 53", will be replaced by a new operator for the upcoming contract. The new operator will build a new station for "Christoph 53" on the City Airport grounds and extend operating hours, with the helicopter now set to fly from 7 am to 8 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 8 pm on weekends and holidays, regardless of sunrise and sunset.
The new landing site at the Tübingen BG Clinic, where "Christoph 45" was to be relocated, will instead be a new platform including a hangar, built 15 meters on stilts above the patient garden. Construction of this new landing site is scheduled to start in January 2026, at an estimated cost of 32 million euros.
The decision to relocate "Christoph 45" was necessary to reach white spots in the hinterland of the lake within 20 minutes of flight time and to improve the supply of people there. The cancellation of the relocation has been met with some disappointment, as the move was initially intended to improve rescue services in the area.
The municipality of Deggenhausertal requires a ground-based rescue station to be built alongside the air rescue site for any urban planning to proceed. The decision on whether a rescue station can be built alongside the hangar is made by the regional committee for rescue services in Lake Constance-Oberschwaben.
The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior also presented a new air rescue map for the region in November 2022, expanding the number of rescue helicopter bases from eight to ten. This expansion aims to further improve emergency services across the region.
As the situation develops, further updates on the relocation of "Christoph 45" and the re-tendering of "Christoph 53" will be provided.
- The Ministry of the Interior is looking to allocate a new location for "Christoph 45" within the District of Ravensburg, in an effort to enhance health-and-wellness services provided by air rescue helicopters in the region.
- In addition to improving emergency services across the region, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior's new air rescue map, presented in November 2022, also includes a focus on expanding scientific research and innovation in the field of fitness-and-exercise within air rescue operations.
